


Shall We Dance

by QueenieWrites



Category: Real Person Fiction
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Mentions of Emotional Abuse, SO MUCH FLUFF, and the smut, its all about the fluff, mentions of bullimia, mentions of cutting, mentions of physical abuse, mentions of rehab, very little angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-21
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2019-11-26 18:31:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 33,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18184220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenieWrites/pseuds/QueenieWrites
Summary: Chris Evans is having a very good life. His acting career is solid, he’s halfway done with his Marvel contract, dividing his time between life on the limelight in LA and being a true Boston Boy back home. Having his pick of girls wherever he goes also doesn’t hurt.Lucy Seabrook lives a good life. She has her own dance studio, her own apartment in one of the trendiest NYC neighborhoods, a family she loves and a cat that can smother you in your sleep if you're not careful. She doesn’t date much, but she can make a mean lasagna, thank you very much.Perhaps it’s time that good becomes great and great becomes awesome. All they need to do is learn how to dance together.___There will be no great angst, no pinning. Just two people falling in love and going through life together.___





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I love putting a face to my characters! You can check them out here:  
> https://queeniewritesce.tumblr.com/post/184483336550/swd-face-characters

Chris Evans rolled out of his bed and ran a hand down his face, scrubbing the last remaining traces of sleep. It was good to be home even if his break was coming to an end after forty-five days. Having wrapped up filming for Captain America: Civil War in late August, he had been happy to get some rest and visit his friends and family in Boston before heading down south to work on his next project, Gifted. He was looking forward to working with Octavia Spencer again and the script was solid, a good departure from the explosions and green screens this last few years provided.

Last night had been his last full night at home and Chris and some of his friends went to Mccreedy’s Pub for beers and pool. He arrived home around four A.M, his pockets lighter and highly drunk.

He groggily made his way to the bathroom of his en-suite, bending down to grab his checkered boxers from the floor. After relieving himself he looked himself in the mirror while washing his hands and face. Yes, it was good to be home, no fake fights to learn, no need for a daily shave and no places he had to b...

“SHIT!” His voice was loud, and it echoed in the empty bathroom. “Shit, shit, shit...”

He raced back to his bedroom and grabbed his phone from the nightstand. The black and white Patriots logo blinked to life and right above it the clock read eleven fifty-two A.M. Groaning, he sat back on the edge of the bed and pulled his contacts app, quickly dialing finding and dialing the number he was looking for.

The call connected after three rings and before he was able to say anything the sound of giggling and laughter reached his ears. He was missing a great time with his friends judging by the background noise. 

“…and you’re a crazy woman! Your _danger Will Robson_ button must’ve broken when you’re born!” came Garret’s voice on the phone followed by more laughter. “Chris my man you’re fucking late!” Chris heard a feminine voice saying ‘Fuck you Gar’ on the background followed by “Silence woman, I’m on the phone!” from Garret.

“Yeah, ‘bout that…” Chris could hear the stadium music playing, welcoming everyone to the Gillet Stadium, home of the New England Patriots. “I’ll probably won’t make it today bro, I just woke up and I feel like someone drove a tank over my head.”

“You sound like crap as well bro…” Garret sighed on the phone. “Listen, you want us to leave? It’s not fair that we’re using your suite and you won’t even be here.”

Chris felt like a jackass, Garret had come up to him a few days after he had been home and asked if Chris would be okay with him borrowing his suite at Gillet Stadium and taking a few friends to watch the Pats play. It would be Garret’s girlfriend’s birthday on the 31st and the game was the start of one long birthday weekend culminating with a special Halloween party.

 “NO, no, come on man, I’d never make you leave!” He groaned when he got up, pacing the room. “We’ve made these plans like a month ago, it’s part of Penny’s birthday celebration and you shouldn’t have to halt your plans because I fucked up. I’ll let the suits known I won’t be in but you’ll stay put and enjoy the game, ok?”

He leaned on the window pane with his right arm, soaking up the sun and watching life go by on the streets below his old townhouse. He had purchased the house in late March and there was still so much to do to restore the house to his former 1900 glory. It excited and terrified him, but Chris was adamant he would do the renovations himself.

“You sure you can’t swing by halftime? We’re gonna kill some _Delphinus_ ass and you’re root to watch the game with.”

Chris could hear Guillermo in the background screaming ‘kill the fish, kill the fish’ while the same woman's voice from before laughed and corrected him saying dolphins were mammals and calling him a dumbass. She had a hearty laugh, loud enough to be heard through the phone call but not high-pitched and he could’ve sworn he heard her snort during his conversation with Garret. _Adorable_... the thought crossed his mind for a second.

“Nah, I don’t think I will. I’ll just take some Advil and go back to bed, commiserate over my own drunk ass. My flight is at nine P.M. and I really don’t want to flight while hangover and football is only football when there’s beer involved. Put Penny on the phone though, I wanna wish my future wife a Happy Birthday.” Chris laughed knowing he’d get a rise out of his friend.

“Fuck you, Evans, she’d never leave my ass for yours, you’re too pretty for a man, she likes them rough and…“ Garret was interrupted by what Chris deduced was an elbow to his side.

“I actually like my man without a potty mouth, Mr. Haywood… Hey Chris! Thank you so much for the surprise!” Penny sweet voice came through the speaker.

“Well babygirl, then I’m definitely not the man for you, am I?” Chris laughed with Penny. “Listen, I’m sorry I can’t make it today, I have no excuses but I’m a drunken fool.”

“Yes, yes you are!” she laughed before getting serious, her nurse voice on “Are you drinking plenty of water? Have you taken some ibuprofen? Order some greasy food and try not to stay on your bed all day, alright?”

“Yes Nurse Seabrook, no Nurse Seabrook.” He chuckled and made the way to the kitchen to find the Advil bottle. Penny was a nurse at Christopher’s Haven and had met Garret when both Chris and his friend had gone for a visit. Garret left saying she would be his girl one day and true to his world he had won her over not a month later. That was two years ago and Chris was sure a proposal wasn’t far off in the distance. She made his best friend happy and for that he loved her.

“Oh, shut up with the Nurse Seabrook nonsense would ya? I’m just sad you won’t get to meet my sister, she flew in last night and I was looking forward to introducing you two.” Penny said while he opened the bottle and got two pills.

“Are you trying to set me up with your sister, Penny?” he opened a cabinet door and got a glass.

“I do _not set people up_ Christopher, I find pieces of a puzzle that are supposed to go together and let destiny take its course.” She giggled. Yeah, she was totally trying to set them up.

“You’re something else Penny!” he sighed after drinking a full glass of water. “Listen I gotta try and get some more sleep, but happy birthday you little cupid, I hope it’s a great one. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there, and I promise to make it up to you somehow.”

 

“There’s no need to make it up to me, dear. You’re a great friend and a busy man. We’ll see you when you’re back ok?”

“I love you both very much, I’ll call you when I have a chance.” Chris made his way back to his bedroom, closing the blackout curtains and sliding into his bed before disconnecting the call.

His dreams were discombobulated images of football, his friends and a laugh that he couldn’t place a face to, but warmed him whenever he heard it.

__...__...__

Chris looked back to the stadium and he could see people filling the seats around the suites. A soundproof glass kept the noise at a normal level inside his, but the excitement was palpable. Families donned Patriots jerseys and Santa hats, the jumbotron showed a man dressing head to toe like a giant Christmas’ tree and then the image changed to a couple of girls dressed like sexy elves. _Man, they must be freezing in this weather_ … It was December 20th and the temperature had dropped dramatically the night before, right now it was 26° but the weatherman talked about it getting as low as 15° during the game.

He was glad he had purchased a season suite. It wasn’t cheap but it was heated, had leather seats in the inside area, four HD TVs playing the other games of the day as well as the one being played on the field below and it came with their personal bar down the hall, tucked away from the crowd. Chris wasn’t against meeting fans and taking pictures, but sometimes he just wanted to have fun with his friends, let his guard down and enjoy himself.

Some of his drinking buddies were already there, a beer bottle on their hands and talking shit about a lot of things.

“Chris, thanks again for the invite brother, it’s not every day you get to watch the Pats kick some Titan’ ass from the 50-yard line,” Samuel said while raising his beer bottle in a _salut_.

“Here, here, let’s hope they freeze on their socks. Tennessee might be cold, but this Foxborough man! It’s our territory.” Another man, Dix, clinked his bottle to the first ones and they drank, Chris, following with their own _salut_ and drink.

He turned his attention to the door when it opened, revealing Guillermo and his girlfriend Dora, Garret, and Penny. She had her head turned back and was speaking with someone just outside the door.

“I know right, she looked like you pissed on her Cheerios, she was so mad!” Penny laughed while fully entering the room.

And then he heard it, the laugh that had accompanied his dreams those past two months got louder when it entered the room.

“It’s not my fault she’s wearing stilettos in this weather. It’s fucking freezing and she had on fifteen-inch hills, a dress, and no tights! Who does that for Pete’s sake? Anyway, if she had moved when I said _excuse me_ she wouldn’t have gone down like a sack of potatoes. My ass needs space to move around, you know that!” the girl finished and closed the door behind her, already unbuttoning her jacket. “Gosh, so warm, I love this place, I really do.”

“Yeah, like your ass is really that big Lucy.” Penny also removed her jacket, taking both and handing them over to Garret. “CHRIS!”

Penny sauntered to Chris with open arms, her small frame easily being engulfed by his.

“Welcome back big shot, how’s my favorite Captain?” she said hugging him with all her might. Penny really gave the best hugs he thought while hugging her back.

“I’m the only Captain you know Pen, of course I’m your favorite!”

“Actually, you’re not, our brother JP is also a captain”, she shrugged and moved her eyes to Penny, a smirk on her lips “and I’m telling him you said that!”

“Lucy, don’t you dare!” Penny was smiling while hugging Chris sideways. “Ok, so you’re my favorite _fake_ Captain, JP is my favorite real Captain. How’s that?” she showed her tongue to Lucy before remembering that introductions were in other. “Chris this is my big sister and an even bigger pain in the ass, Lucy Seabrook. BabyBoo, this is the dorkiest man on earth, Chris Evans.”

In the few seconds that it took for Lucy to walk the three steps between them, Chris finally took a good look at the girl. Around 5’4”, she had a full hourglass figure, bigger than what usually attracted him but something about her called to him. A round face with amazing green eyes stared back at him, her full, kissable lips on display sporting a reddish-pink hue. Her red hair had shades going from strawberry blond to mahogany, but the main portion was a deep burnt orange, reaching past her waist and brushing the top of her ass cheeks. While her breasts looked gorgeous on that sweater, he had always been an ass man. And what a great ass that was, all round and perky. His cock twitched at the thoughts running through his mind.

She had dimples when she smiled and he caught himself smiling back with the same intensity, before enveloping her small hands with his.

 _‘I guess when people talk about feeling a shock going thru them when they meet someone they click with, this is the feeling they’re talking about.’_ Chris laughed to cover the shiver that ran through his body.

“Hi.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's the next chapter. I like to flesh out my characters before I get to the good stuff but the next two chapters are gonna pick up the pace a little. Until then, I hope you enjoy it.

“Hi.”

They spoke together and Lucy swore that she felt small parks going through her arms, all irradiating from her clasped hands. ‘ _How long is too long to hold someone’s hand during a hand-shake? Should I let go? Do I wait for him to let go? My god, look at that smile…’_ thoughts ran wild in her mind before she righted herself and she started to let go of his hand.

“So, you’re the famous sister Lucy, uh?” his natural voice was a little higher than she was used to in the movies, and when he smiled the lines around his eyes crinkled, _why didn’t Penny warn her beforehand?_ He grabbed Lucy’s hand and pulled her into a hug, pressing his whole upper body into hers and enveloping her with his arms. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you!”

Lucy’s squeaked but hugged him back, looking sideways at Penny with a surprised expression. She discretely sniffed his chest and sighed, her favorite man’s cologne greeting her nose.

“I’d say you’re the famous one, and I’m not talking about your career,” she smiled while taking a step back, “Garret has told some amazing tales, including sky diving and the curious case of the missing underwear. Seriously, he used those exact words to describe it before he told us how you literally lost every piece of your underwear while shooting one of the Marvel movies. Just _how_ did you do that?”

She was laughing so hard she didn’t realize they were still holding hands, their fingers now lingering together.

“I’m way too sober to answer that one, but ask me again some other time, preferably after a round of shots!” His face had gotten a little redder and he gave her a playful smile. “Penny talks about you all the time and you live in New York, right? How come it’s the first time we’ve met?”

“Life was pretty hectic up until this last July, her birthday in October was the first time I came up to Boston to visit her in the last four years,” Lucy’s could feel her insides doing somersaults the longer he held her hand. “With the studio and competitions, all my time was devoted to dancing. Sorry, Pen.”

He squeezed her hand with one of his own and pointed at a futon in front of the large couch nestled in the middle of the suite. She sat down and Chris sat in front of her, on the edge of the couch, she could feel his eyes on her breasts, and she looked up in time to see him licking his lips before moving his eyes to her face.

Guillermo and Dora were seating on a couple of chairs by the futon and Garret sat on the couch with Chris, pulling Penny towards him and onto his lap. Lucy missed the glance her sister shared with her own boyfriend, a small smile on her lips.

“Did you know Lucy’s won the National Championship five times, Chris?” Penny laced her arms around Garret before saying that.

Lucy’s eyebrows hit the top of her head and the look she gave her sister clearly meant to say, _‘what the fuck are you doing?’_ before looking back at Chris.

“Competitions? You have awards and stuff?” he looked at Lucy when she nodded and she didn’t know why, but he looked proud and it made her blush.

“Couple of different ones, but yeah, five first places and a couple of seconds and thirds.” She knew she was a good dancer, she worked hard daily to make her routines fun and exciting for the judges and it paid off. “Two of them were for our couple’s routine, one for our duo and the last two were for uhm… Pole dancing.”

The last two words had been spoken so softly Chris had to repeat them to make sure he had heard right. When she nodded and looked back at him, his eyes were wide and her confidence faltered, _of course he would doubt her, who in their right mind would give a pole dance award to a fat girl like her_. She hurried to explain.

“That was before… uhm… I was…” she exhaled loudly and squared her shoulders, dropping his hand and crossed her arms around her abdomen, trying to hide her midsection. “I was very much in shape when I won those awards, I’ll let you know that.”

Lucy grimaced at the tone of her voice, looking down at her crossed hands.

“Hey, hey, that wasn’t what I meant at all,” his large hand gave her knee a pat, pressing down a little to make her look at him, “I’ve seen my fair share of girls on the pole in the past and albeit I wasn’t paying much attention to the physics involved with the dance, that has got to be hard to learn, especially at competition level.”

“It totally is, Lucy had bruises on her shins, feet, and thighs for quite a long time before she got the hang of it.” Penny’s foot nudged her sister’s leg, making the other girl look up. When she did, Penny chuckled, “Remember when you came home with that bruise on your inner thighs and JP was so mad because he thought that some boy had given you a hickey there?”

“Lucy, so scandalous… I like it!” Garret gave her a huge smile.

“Well, JP didn’t”, she laughed, her previous bout of shyness and self-doubt forgotten, and went to explain “It wasn’t really a hickey you know, but I was still learning, entered the move on the wrong rotation and smacked the pole pretty hard. That shit hurts and you can get some serious contact burns when you do it wrong. Anyway, he got into my face when we’re at the pool, saying that _‘no sister of him should allow a boy to do that’_. We had a screaming match because just the day before he was bragging to his friends about Debra Kempton, remember her Penny, and how he got to third base with her. I asked him if she wasn’t someone’s sister and he spluttered, huffed and called mom, who also scolded him.” The small group laughed, the girls within earshot exclaiming about double standards. “Gosh, that was an old memory, I almost forgot about that, how old was I, sixteen?”

“Nineteen-Ninety-Six, yes, right before JP left for college.” Penny agreed.

“Wait, you’re thirty-five?” Chris stared at her “I knew you’re the older sister, but I didn’t do the math till now. You don’t look thirty-five, you don’t even look thirty!”

“Why thank you, Mr. Evans, flattery will indeed get you everywhere.” Lucy patted his hand still resting on her knees with a wicked grin on her face, which he returned.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep sweetheart.” He had a full-on grin now and his eyes once again descended to her breasts, the hand on her left knee now traveling a little higher to her thighs.

Penny had warned about his flirting, but she didn’t say he had one of those panties-dropper smiles. That coupled with the greenish-blue eyes and the beard was a fatal combination for Lucy. But she was known to keep up the banter, always quick with a response.

“But I always keep my promises Chris, I’m the poster girl for the girl scouts.” She gave him a mock salute, two fingers touching her forehead.

“Are you gonna be a good girl and call me Captain?” he licked his lips slowly before turning his smile into a smirk, his voice now an octave lower and closer to her ear. His fingers on her jeans traveled higher again, his palm getting dangerously closer to her bum. “Obey all my commands?

When did he move so close to her? Her neck felt hot and her palms sweaty, she could feel her nipples hardening at his words and just what he would command her to do. _I’d kill for a drink right now…_

“I’m going to get some beers before the kick-off, who’s with me?” ‘ _did Guillermo actually read her mind?’_ She wondered as he got up, clapping his hands excitedly.

Her little bubble with Chris exploded and she had to blink a few times to clear her head while he moved back. Lucy could see he was breathing a little harder and she chanced another glance at him. He gave her a huge smile before saying he’d go with Guillermo.

“Can I have a glass of wine instead? Cabernet is preferable, but I’ll take anything as long as it’s not overly sweet.” Lucy broke away from Chris stare long enough to reach her purse and grab a fifty-dollar bill.

“Your money’s no good here, sweetheart, keep it.” Chris rubbed his hands on his thighs almost like he was drying them, before clapping them and getting up. “So red wine, 4 beers, how about some chips and queso?” he looked around the group getting nods from everyone. “Alright, let’s go.”

On their way out Dix joined Chris and Guillermo, the three of them making their way to the door.

Lucy looked around and decided to peek into the outside seats, where they would congregate to watch the game. She had been to plenty of games at the Met Life Stadium but never inside one of the owners’ suite. She couldn’t deny she was impressed with the Patriots stadium, not that she would ever admit that out loud.

She shivered when she opened the door and the cold air hit her. Lucy knew her thick green wool sweater and jeans wouldn’t be enough to withstand the cold and wind bellowing outside the door.  She let Penny know she would grab their coats and went back inside, making her way to the coat hanger by one of the sofas on the other side of the room. She got her coat, putting it on, then grabbed her gloves from one of the pockets along with a thick black scarf and hat from the other. She was almost all bundled up and was buttoning up her coat when Samuel approached, leaning on the wall and giving her the once over.

“Hi.” She offered him a small smile, her fingers rapidly working on the last button.

“Hi there.” The dirty blond man had an easy smile but something about him bothered her. She understood why when he continued. “So, you’re a stripper? I gotta say, with a heck like that you oughta make some money, even if you’re on the heavy side.”

Lucy seethed and looked at him with contempt.

“I’m sorry, I barely even know your name, what’s your problem with me?”

“Come on baby, you’re gonna play hard to get because I’m not the movie star? I saw you getting all chummy with Chris not five minutes ago. You think he’s gonna make a move on ya’ when he has the pick of the litter?” His hand moved as to touch her hair and she smacked it down with hers.

“Do not touch me without my permission,” she said through gritted teeth, standing tall like JP had taught her all those years ago. _‘Stand your ground and look menacing Lou, you have to make them see you’re not afraid and won’t tolerate their shit.’_ She looked straight at Samuel and counted on her hand. “Number one I’m not your baby and whomever I get _chummy_ with is not your business. Number two I’m not a stripper, I’m a dance instructor who teaches not only pole dance but at least five more dance styles. And number three if me being heavy is such a problem, why are you talking to me? Now, if you excuse me.”

She tried to move past him, but he pushed from the wall and blocked her path with his body.

“Hey, Samuel. Lucy… The game is about to start, why don’t you bundle up Sam, I’m getting the girls outside.” Garret was out of the couch and next to the two people in less than three steps, having heard how agitated Lucy sounded. Trying to defuse the situation without getting the attention of everyone else seemed like the best idea and he offered Lucy his arm, which she gladly accepted while he gathered his and Penny’s jacket.

Garret gave the other man a hard stare before moving away, Lucy looking down the whole time.

“You good Lucy?” Garret had an imposing figure and at almost 6’5, he towered over everyone in the room and even had her 5’9 sister looking small and dainty next to him. But the light dark-skinned man was one of the sweetest men she knew, and his presence had always soothed Lucy whenever they met in New York City or at her parents’ house.

‘ _Man, they’re gonna make some beautiful babies together.’_ Lucy thought back to the last serious conversation they had, tucked away in his and Penny’s kitchen after her birthday party. He confessed he would propose during Christmas’s Eve, after talking to Mr. Seabrook. Lucy was giddy and even helped him with the engagement ring, stealing one of Penny’s ring so he could take it with him to the jewelry store. The ring was now tucked away in one of Lucy’s travel bags and she promised she wouldn’t peek. She looked up to him and smiled. “Yeah, he’s being a shithead but it’s nothing I haven’t heard before you know?”

“But you shouldn’t have to deal with that Lucy, I don’t understand my own kind sometimes, men are pigs.” He opened the door to the outside area, motioning her to go. “I mean, I get it that being friends with Chris makes you a second option and if you’re not secure with yourself that must suck, but that’s no reason to treat a woman with anything but respect.”

“Was I flirting too much with Chris? Will he think I’m a groupie?” the last sentence was more meant for herself than for her friend, but Lucy needed to know.

“My god woman, no!” he threw his head back in a hearty laugh, hugging Lucy sideways. “If anything, he’s the one who upped the volume back there, even I did a double take when he mentioned you calling him captain because he usually shies away from that part of his life when talking to girls. Hot as hell if I might say so!” he nudged her with his shoulder. “And believe me, you might be Penny’s sister but if I didn’t know you and didn’t think you’d be a good fit with our little group, you wouldn’t be invited. We’re very protective of the guy, especially when he’s in Boston and believes no one will take advantage of him. But Guillermo likes you, Dora likes you. Samuel’s a dick but that’s nothing new. And I, I really like you. You’re one of those girls who doesn’t take shit from anyone and can actually hold a conversation about anything… plus you treated my boy like he was just another guy you met.”

Lucy smiled at Gar and hugged him tightly, murmuring her thanks.

They sat next to Penny right as Chris, Guillermo and the rest of Chris’ friends made their way outside, passing drinks and appetizers around.

But even after Garret’s pep talk, Samuel’s words had her reeling and her feelings of inadequacy came back up with a vengeance. Why would Chris make a move on her when he could have anyone he wanted?

 _‘You’re just a fat girl Lucy, who would want you now?’_ the voice inside in her mind now sounded like a man and years of being belittled made her feel unwanted. _Who indeed would want the fat girl?_ Her own voice echoed.

She asked Penny to change places with her and she tried to make herself as small as she could next to the wall, her wine glass firmly clasped on her hands.

Lost to her own thoughts Lucy didn’t see the look Chris sent her way, his smile turning to a frown when the vibrant, boisterous girl of twenty minutes ago now looked meek and subdued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments and I hope to hear from you soon!
> 
> If anyone is interested in beta-ing this story I'd be delighted and really appreciate the help.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Game on!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the banner I made and let me know if you like it! http://queeniel4ce.tumblr.com/post/183624948659/so-i-made-a-banner-hope-you-like-it

“You okay over there?” Chris asks her during halftime, the Patriots opening a three-drive advantage over the Tennessee Titans and making Chris feel good about the game. Lucy was seated by the wall and Chris had to cross over five chairs to get to her, moving to sit by her side. Most of his friends left for the bathroom or the bar, leaving him and Lucy when neither of them didn’t move after the whistle. “You’re being oddly quiet and Penny’s worried.”

He watched Lucy worry her bottom lip, her teeth moving back and forth over the plump lower lip. He was sure she was debating over giving him a feeble excuse or talking freely with him. He wished for the latter, Chris was tired of girls using headaches or that time of the month to justify their moods.

“I have a…” _well, here comes the excuse then_ he gazed at her disappointed while she made to look at the field to avoid him. The next second he could feel something inside her snapping back in place, her eyes meeting his. “You know what, _no_ , I do not have a headache. I feel perfectly fine health-wise, but I do have a lot on my head. I don’t appreciate being treated like a piece of meat _, a fat piece of meat at that,_ and some of your friends are pig heads.”

Chris stared at her, somewhat pleased she was forthcoming with him and at the same time getting mad someone he considered a friend mistreating another.

“What Samuel said to you?” his stare was hard when he got up, never breaking eye contact. “He can be an ass sometimes, I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize for something you didn’t do Chris,” Lucy offered him a smile, stilling his walk when she grabbed his hand. “As I said, I do have a lot on my mind and sometimes I let a bad memory filter through the forefront and that freezes me for a moment. Most of the time though I’m a tough cookie, I can dish back whatever I receive.”

She gave him her meanest face, dissolving into laughter right after.

“Oh right, that was terrifying, I’m shaking in my Nikes.” He sat next to her, his half-full cup of beer in his hand. He brought the cup to his lips, finishing it all at once. “Seriously though, I’ll talk to him, he knows I hate when he pulls that shit. If there is one thing I don’t tolerate is disrespecting women.”

“He called me a stripper!” she giggled and downed whatever little wine was left inside her own plastic cup and grabbed his, getting up and throwing both on the can next to the wall before resting her bum on the rail in front of him.

“He _what_?” Chris was on his feet so fast he swayed a little. “I’m kicking him out right now.”

“Calm down Chris, seat your ass back down and relax,” she pushed him back gently and he was dumbfounded, a confused expression on his face his free hand raised in a ‘ _what’_ question at her. “He’s not the first and certainly won’t be the last to call me that or even worst. Guys don’t usually understand that you can pole without taking off your clothes, as stripping is ordinarily their introduction to the craft.” She got comfortable, leaning a little lower on the rail, her legs stretched in front of her between both of his. She had on brown boots that reached almost to her knees but no heels, she was dressed for comfort he noted, but even she wasn’t trying to impress him, she already had. He closed his legs trapping her and _oh why he loved that laugh so much?_  “Not that there’s anything wrong with stripping, it’s hot as hell when you know what you’re doing.”

The temperature around them was board line freezing, but Chris felt warm at her words. He had been to his fair share of strip clubs, some raucous trips to Vegas coming back to him.

“Have your ever? I mean, did you ever… God, don’t answer that, I sound just like a pervert, I have no right to ask you that.” He ran a hand through his hair and face, exhaling to right his mind. _Calm down man, what are you, nineteen?_

“I don’t mind answering to be honest, we’re just talking.” Her right foot moved back and forth with the music filtering down from the speakers. Lucy gathered her hair to her left side and brought it forward to rest over her ample chest and Chris was undecided if he wanted to gently run his hand through the tresses before resting it on her breast or grab it to pull her towards him and run his nose between the valley of her bosom. In the end, he chose neither, his hand flexing and opening again to try and release of the tension his body was feeling. She grinned; “Ask whatever Chris.”

“Who usually chooses the pole dance classes?” he tried a safe question first even though he knew exactly what he wanted to ask.

“You’d be surprised!” she sounded like she had a secret and he made a mental note to ask why later. “We have housewives who want to plus their sexual lives, executives who want to let go of their everyday lives for a couple of hours, surgical doctors who want the limberness and the dexterity pole dance offers. And of course, we have the girls working the poles for money, either pros who need to learn something new or a beginner who can barely bend and reach her toes. And the best thing is that anyone can do it you know, they can be as small as Kate Moss thin or as big as Tess Holiday, it doesn’t matter, as long as you have core strength you can do a routine.”

Her passion shinned while she spoke and Chris couldn’t help but smile with her.

“And do you do personalized routines for the working girls?”

“Sometimes we come up with stuff together, sometimes they just want help with an angle or how to go from one move to the next seamless and as graceful as possible. And when I say graceful, I mean sexy.” Lucy explained. “Sometimes I go to their club so I can see the space they have to work with it. Some routines use chairs or the floor and not only the pole itself.”

An image of her on the floor, legs encased in black stockings and heels flashed in his mind and a small moan crossed his lips. He scooted over the chair, and his crotch made contacts with her calf when he hugged her legs with his own, hands on her knees.

“For some reason, I can’t see you performing in a club…” he playful tapped the side of his face. “I mean, not that you wouldn’t be amazing, but… No, you’d want a captive audience for that.” He tilted his head and looked at her a little sideways, an eyebrow raising and giving her a heat look when a beautiful blush tinted her cheeks, his cock twitching at the thought of her braless in front of him, her ass rotating with the rhythm while she grounded herself on him. His hands went grazed over the backside of her knees, going up till they rested near her buttocks to hold her in place, fingers sprawled on the backside of her thighs, squeezed lightly when he looked up at her. “I bet you have a routine for each of your favorite songs, don’t you? Outfits picked and everything.”

She licked her lips and nodded, unable to form words at his forwardness. The hand that previously combed through her own hair trailing down her body, giving her own breast a squeeze before coming to a rest on his biceps. The green of her eyes was brighter, her pupils dilated.

“I don’t see a question in there Chris.” Her voice was low and raspy, and it did things to his cock.

“You’re a flirty little thing, aren’t ‘ya?” he chuckled and sighed right after when her other hand took hold of his chin, caressing lazily through his beard. Chris looked her straight into the eyes before posing his question, “Are you gonna dance for me, sweetheart?”

Chris turned his head slightly and captured her thumb with his lips, sucking lightly before nipping at the pad of her finger, still holding her gaze and winking before sucking more of her thumb into his mouth. She shivered and moaned softly, and he was glad there were quite a few seats empty, guaranteeing their privacy. He didn’t want anyone hearing her moans but himself.

Lucy righted herself and her blush intensified when her movements put her mound right near his face but he was holding her gaze waiting for an answer. The hand that holds his arm moved and she cupped his chin with both hands.

“Yes, I will."

\--..--..--..--..--

This had been the longest second-half of any Patriots games in recorded history. It was like Tom Brady knew that he wanted to leave as soon as possible so he could fuck the soft, beautiful girl seated next to him and decided that all snaps would end up with the ball out of bounds. He was favoring short passes over big plays and advancing yard by yard. Brady was a cockblocker, Chris was sure of that.

After their exchange during half-time, Chris moved places, seating himself next to the fiberglass wall that separated all suites and pulling Lucy on the seat next to him. He took a hold of her hand and didn’t let go even when Guillermo handed him three cups of beer stating he wasn’t going back to the bar. He also brought Lucy two plastic cups of wine and she drank half the contents of one almost immediately, saying her mouth felt dry.

Chris had Garret _kindly_ ask Samuel to seat as far from them as possible going as far as to say that he was welcomed to stay if he kept his mouth shut. The blonde man skulked but went on to chat with a brunette that was friends with Dix’s brother. Looking around he realized he knew no more than ten people milling about and he made a mental note to reevaluate who should be invited next game.

The third quart was over and he looked at his watch, three thirty p.m. With some luck his team would get it together and don’t let the Titans score again _and for fuck’s sake, stopping punting on every drive_.

He threw his hands up and cheered when Malcolm Butler intercepted the ball, high-fiving his friends, but the Patriots had to punt after a penalty stalled them near the forty-yard line. He groaned and picked on the skin of his pinky finger, almost ripping his nail off when the Titans scored a touchdown in a drive that lasts less than 15 seconds.

“FUCK THIS.” Chris chugged the rest of his second beer, cursing loudly. He sat with a huff, grabbing her hand again. “Not a word from you woman,” a stern look on his face. “This is what happens you bring a Giants fan to the temple. And don’t you roll your eyes at me.”

She did just that while taking a sip of her wine. Penny and her big mouth had disclosed Lucy was a diehard Giants fans, with season tickets to prove it, while they went to get drinks and Garret almost gloated when he informed Chris he was consorting with the enemy.

“You Bostonians are way into this team. It’s like a religion… better yet, a cult!” her empty cup was back on the ground, a smirk on her lips. “At least I admit when my team does something wrong you know. You people worship Brady like he was a goddamn gold idol, even after _deflate-gate._ ”

“Don’t you go spouting heresies inside the temple! Are you insane?” Chris gave her an exasperated look before softening his features; he was feeling the tiniest bit drunk after so many beers, enjoying this time with his friends and the girl by his side. _But now she’s talking crazy!_

Lucy threw her head back and laughed out loud, mirth dancing in her eyes.

“You guys are so easy to rile up,” turning her body to him, she placed a hand on the inside of his thighs, rubbing small circles there. “I’m sorry I offended Boston’s number one boyfriend, is there any way I can make it up to you?”

Chris should’ve been offended by her dissident comment about Brady, but her apt fingers reached the inseam of his jeans, pausing there for a moment before making they way back to his thighs and all thoughts quickly left him.

He dropped his gaze to her curved mouth, getting as close as possible without touching her. He wanted to kiss her badly, run his lips down her jaw and pull at her lips with his owns lips, but he refused to have their first kiss where thousands of cell phones would surely capture that intimate moment. They both wetted their lips at the same time and the gesture drove Chris nuts. _Fuck the cameras, I need to taste her_.

Just then the Patriots scored a field goal and people all around them went nuts. Getting out of their seats and jumping, flags clasped in their hands.

Chris seized the moment and captured her lips in a kiss, moving slowly, first her heart-shaped upper lip and then her full bottom lip, his teeth pulling and drawing a moan from her. His tongue followed where he teeth pulled, soothing the bite. Lucy opened her mouth a little, welcoming the exploration of his tongue. She tasted like an opulent wine, and it warmed him in the freezing weather.

Their mouths moved together till air become imperative. Opening his eyes Chris was met with the most beautiful sight of her face almost flush with his, her cold red nose touching his cheek, red lips turned into a blissful smile. And when her eyes opened, he felt something running all the way from his head down his back and up to his chest, settling content near his heart. They took a few seconds looking into each other’s eyes before he brought his hands to her neck and the side of her head, pulling her into him again for one more taste.

He'd do anything to get back home as soon as possible, game be damned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut is coming!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a life of its own. This has been my favorite chapter to write so far and as you can see by the word count, I got a little side-tracked and the smut had to be pushed to the next chapter otherwise this would probably be 10K words.
> 
> I really want to hear from you guys, so any feedback is incredibly appreciated.
> 
> Once again, enjoy.

It had been a hot minute since Lucy had laughed so hard.

The group had decided, much to Chris objections, that it was still too early to part ways and they headed back to Boston, a lively discussion happening via facetime while they drove. In the end, they all had agreed on Cure, a bar lounge on the theater district. For an early Sunday night the place was quite full but a look of recognition crossed the hostess' face and she quickly found them a place a near one of the two bars that divided the place in two, one side with a dance floor surrounded by vinyl couches and the other a little more subdued, leather couches and chairs, lights deemed and people drinking and mingling.

That had been two hours and many beers and glasses of wine ago, with tales being shared left and right, a recount of the game and its highlights leading up to a heated debate about Tom Brady being the greatest quarterback of the league.

“Oh come on, the guy is just that good, he doesn’t need to deflate the damn ball to throw a perfect pass,” Chris said from his spot on the couch next to Lucy. He had his left arm resting on the back of the couch while his hand played with the nape of her neck, his thumb gently stroking the hair there. His legs were spread out and a little while ago he had grabbed both her legs and draped them over his left one and she was now sandwiched between the arm of the couch and Chris’ body. “He’s the hardest working man on the league, that’s why he’s so good. Did you know he doesn’t eat dairy or flour products?”

“You know, if it wasn’t for the boner you’ve been toting around since halftime and the pissing match you had with Samuel at the end of the game, I’d swear you had the hots for Brady.” Guillermo said and laughter erupted, Dix and Garret, letting out an ‘ _oooooh’_. “How do you even know these things, man?”

“Fuck you, Gui,” Chris’s hand lifted from Lucy’s neck and flipped his friend the bird before resuming its place. He finished the beer that was left on the bottle and set the bottle at the low table in front of him. “Samuel was being a prick, he had no right to talk about Lucy like that. He’s being stupid since _whatshername_ dumped his ass, but after today I don’t blame her. And stop looking at my dick you pervert.” Chris shifted in his seat, bringing his now free hand to cover his crotch.

“Do make note he didn’t deny his attraction to Brady.” That earned Lucy a dirty look and a playful slap on her thighs.

“The mouth on you,” Chris exclaimed, and his fingers tightened on her neck, bringing her face closer, his mouth lingered for a moment, eyes locked and his breath hot on her face. They’ve been like that since they arrived, relaxing and enjoying the exchange between their friends at a moment and slowly kissing on the next, bodies close and hands wondering. “I really like when it’s pressed against mine.”

This kiss was harder than the earlier tentative kisses they shared. Like a sensual slow dance, Chris’ full lips caressed hers with pecks soft as a butterfly, gently coaxing her mouth to open while his left fingers stroke her neck, his right hand sliding from her thighs to cup her waist, keeping her from moving. She left a soft moan escape and her mouth opened, giving him a chance to touch her tongue with his own. Chris groaned and closed his mouth around hers, his tongue touching every corner it could reach, the roof of her mouth, sliding against her tongue, her teeth, then coming back to kiss her bottom lip and starting it all over again. Lucy’s hands had taken residence around his neck, fingers twisting on his hair, tugging at the dark strands and she was rewarded with a purr that made her insides clench with want. He broke the kiss and dragged his lips across her jaw, nipping his way up to the shell of her ear. One of her hands left his hair, her fingers gently tracing downwards his nose, caressing his cheek. Their eyes locked and a small sigh escaped her lips before they smiled at each other.

“You make me gag a little, just so you know,” Penny’s amused voice reached them from the leather chair in front of them before she popped a french-fry on her mouth.

“Consider it payback for all the times I had to put on music to drown the sounds coming from my guest bedroom.” Lucy looked at her sister, happy to dish as hard as she got and grinned before continuing, “I had to rearrange the whole bedroom because the headboard kept hitting the wall, there’s just so many times one can handle being jostled awake because her sister is getting her freak on.”

Chris threw his head back in laughter, his hand grabbing his left peck and sliding a little on the sofa cushion.

“Bitch!” Penny laughed, shrugged and pecked Garret’s red cheek, murmuring something that made him grin back at her.

“Love you too, skank,” a bright smile contradicted the harshness of her words. “You’re welcome to rock the walls now if you want, the dude on 4B is a tool.”

“He totally is, did you know he told Garret delivery guys should wait downstairs?” The smile vanished from her face. And she shushed her boyfriend when a small _‘Baby…’_ left his lips. “No, I should’ve have told Lucy right there, it’s not the first time either.”

“The fuck you saying?” all traces of laughter left Chris’ voice when he looked at Garret’s chagrined face.

“You should’ve clocked him, bro,” Dix said from the opposed chair, knuckles white around his beer bottle.

“I’ll have his ass on the next tenants' meeting, I’m so tired of his racist, misogynist hogwash. He’s the worst kind of human being.”

“Let it go, guys, there’s nothing we can do it about now.” Garret’s voice had a hint of resignation and he shrugged. “We’re here having a good time and he’s probably at home watching porn alone.” Chris went to say something, but a shake of Garret’s head silenced him. “I’m going to the bar, anyone wants something?”

“Water please, I need to sober up a little.” Lucy patted Chris’ knee before getting up. “Penny, where’s the bathroom?”

“I’ll go with you.” She kissed Garret again, whispering _I love you_ to him before joining Lucy.

They silently made their way through a narrow tunnel illuminated by purple LED lights behind the bar. Reaching the bathroom, they each headed for a stall, meeting a few minutes later at the sink. Lucy watched her sister’s reflection while she dried her hands

“Why didn’t you tell me Pen?” Lucy’s voice was soft. “It’s not the first time he’s seeing sputtering out that racist bs, Doctor Harris confided in me Brian once told her that he was glad her apartment was on the level floor, as he’d never share the elevator with the likes of her. Doctor Harris!! She’s the sweetest lady ever, always helping everyone, she handles Morris like he’s a kitten instead of a twenty-five pounds monster.”

“He’s a monster alright, tried to kill me twice now,” the smile never quite reached her eyes and she sighed. When she spoke, her eyes shone with unshed tears. “I… I forget sometimes you know? I forget what he goes through daily because I don’t look at him and think _‘here’s my black boyfriend’_. He’s just my Garret. But some other times he comes home and I just know some shit went down or we’ll be having dinner at a restaurant and people look at us funny and… I hate it what it does to him when that happens. Hate it.”

Lucy closed the space between them and hugged her sister.

“I can’t even imagine what that must feel like and I’m sorry you have to go through that. You’re my favorite person in the word and I love you.”

“Thank you Babyboo. I love you too.” Shaking her head, Penny exhaled and gave her sister a sly smile. “Sooo… You and Chris hit it off well…”

“Yeah… From the moment he took my hands I was smitten. And then he pulled me into a hug and it was like this fire erupted within me.” The amber inside her burned brighter when she remembered the way his arms felt around her. “He’s funny, smart, and has the sharpest tongue of anyone I know except maybe for JP.” She reapplied the reddish-pink lipstick. “There’s something about him, he’s all man you know, not afraid to go after he wants. And to think he wants me? That’s both ridiculous and incredible.”

“Don’t start with the self-deprecating bullshit Lucy, you’re gorgeous, full lips, toned legs, boobs I’d kill for and an ass that Chris can’t seem to keep his hands off. So you’re not a size four, who the fucks care? Certainly not the man out there with a bulge in his pants just from kissing you.”

The muffled sound of the music coming from beyond the walls was the only sound in the bathroom for a while before Lucy sighed, capped the lipstick and put it away.

“You guys have an unhealthy obsession with Chris’ penis.”

The sisters looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“The last time I had a one-night stand was two years ago, he probably had one last week. What if I suck?”

“I don’t think he’ll have any problem with you sucking, babyboo.” Penny laughed and ducked when Lucy sent a balled paper towel at her head. “Look, he’s not a saint, but he isn’t a whore either. He had a fling with Jenny _something_ from his last project, burned red and hot and sizzled in four weeks, she sold him out to the papers and he’s been licking his wounds ever since. Has he been with someone else between then and now? I have no idea, but Chris’ a good guy Lucy and I know he’s not two-timing anyone else by being with you.”

She nodded, that would be enough for now.

With linked arms, they made their way back to the bar.

“I was ready to send a search party after you,” Chris and Garret were waiting by the end of the bar, right by the exit to the dark tunnel. He handed a small bottle of water to Lucy, plucking it out of her hands when she was finished. Chris extended his hands and circled her waist, turning her around and bringing her close to his hard body.

“We’re talking about you.” The mirth on her voice gave away to a soft moan when his lips closed on the point where shoulder and neck met, taking advantage of the one shoulder sweater she was wearing.

“Good things I hope,” soft bites followed by a lick of his tongue had her head spinning and she grounded against him, swaying her hips to the rhythm of the music surrounding them. “Damn woman, you don’t play fair.”

 _Give it to me, I’m worth it_  
_Baby I’m worth it_  
_Uh huh, I’m worth it_  
_Gimme gimme I’m worth it._

“But where’s the fun in playing fair Chris?” she rotated again, reaching behind her to grab his strong hips, fingers sinking on his thighs, making him move with her. Jade eyes sparkled on her tilted head, lips procuring his, sweeping it with her tongue. Time stood still for a second, eyes locked, lips barely touching. Her breath hitched and she closed her mouth around Chris’, tongues dancing together to the beat of the song.

“Dance with me, Lucy.” It was not a request. His eyes were dark as the sky in the morning right before the sunrise, not a trace of the green specks she saw earlier that day. She shivered at the intensity she saw there, desire pooling at her lower half.

Penny and Garret went with them to the dance floor, the music becoming louder as they got closer to the other side of the club, the DJ playing a remix of hip-hop and pop songs.

Chris swayed with Lucy, hands low on her hips, thumbs hooked to the belt loops of her jeans, chests pressed close together, not a single inch separating them. They were surrounded by other bodies but only had eyes for each other. Fingers twisted around the hair on the nape of his neck while the other hand traveled up his arms slowly, the white t-shirt outlining every muscle, and Lucy reveled at the thought that those arms would hold her in a much more intimate embrace later on.

 _Oh don't you dare look back_  
Just keep your eyes on me"  
I said, "You're holding back"  
She said, "Shut up and dance with me!"  
This woman is my destiny  
She said, "Ooh-ooh-hoo  
Shut up and dance with me

 _We were victims of the night_  
The chemical, physical, kryptonite  
Helpless to the bass and the fading light  
Oh, we were bound to get together  
Bound to get together

“I love this song,” Lucy laughed, throwing her hands in the air, hips sashaying back and forth, back arched, feet apart, waiting for the chorus, singing together when it started.

Chris laughed and twirled her around, bringing her back to his wide chest, voices mingling together while grounding against each other.

“You’ll definitely be the death of me.” The whisper was followed by a nip of her earlobe. She pushed away from Chris, giddy, happiness seeping of every pore as they spiraled around each other.

A deep bass replaced the guitar riff and the next song started, a different mood taking hold of them. Lights swirled and the air became heavy with want. He brought her back towards him, one hand closing on her upper thighs pulling her ass down against his hard length, the other moving up her rib cage, skimming her breast, nipples hardening with his ministrations.

 _With her wine-stained lips, yeah, she nothing but trouble_  
Cold to the touch but she's warm as a devil  
I gave her my heart but she wanted my soul  
She takes 'til I break and I can't get more

She turned around, her fingernails skittering his chest, grazing his nipples, her mouth closing on his throat, sucking lightly. His palms reached her bottom, big hands squeezing her cheeks and bringing her impossible close, sliding a knee between her legs, making her moan when the inseam of her jeans hit all the right places. She felt his hot breath on her ear, lips leaving a trail of fire till her mouth, a bruising kiss that made her head spin. _  
_

_You got me in chains_  
_You got me in chains for your love_  
_But I wouldn't change_  
_No, I wouldn't change this love_  
_You got me in chains_  
_You got me in chains for your love_  
_But I wouldn't change_  
_No, I wouldn't change this love_

“I believe it’s time to get out of here before I snap and have my wicked way with you in front of everybody.” Chris stared at her like a caged animal ready to pounce, a thin layer of perspiration on his brown.

Not trusting her words, she nodded and took his outstretched hand, fingers intertwined, almost running to keep up with his pace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a playlist of the songs that played during their time on the club with anyone wants to set up the mood.
> 
> Smut warning will apply for the next chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay, I had two many scenes playing in my head at the same time and more just kept on coming and I needed to write them down. Plus there're a couple of plot bunnies following me around, I don't know if I'll hunt them down yet.
> 
> I wanted to right this chapter from Chris' point of view since I first wrote the draft for this fic, which proved a challenge for an inexperienced writer.
> 
> If you want to beta this story please catch me on tumblr @queeniel4ce.

The ride to his house in South End had been a quiet one. Chris decided to not tempt faith and left the car parked in the streets near the club, hailing a cab to get them home. They held hands for the duration of the ten-minute ride, his thumb caressing the inside of her wrist, feeling the scars for the first time. That puzzled and worried him, and he made a mental note to inquire about them later. 

A flash of ginger lightning came barely through the corridor when the condo door opened, barking and jumping excitedly.

“Dodger! Sit boy, where are your manners?” Dodger sat in front of Chris while he put away their coats and shoes, thumping his tail loudly. “Can you say hi to my friend Lucy?”

A high bark was followed by Dodger giving his right paw to Lucy, waiting for her to shake it, Chris saying  _good boy_.

“Hi Dodger, hi! What a beautiful boy!” She crouched in front of him, taking his paw in her hand, shaking it lightly before moving on to scratch his head. “Who’s a good boy, uh, who’s a good boy to his daddy? You’re a good boy, yes you are!”

He couldn’t help but smile big while Lucy petted Dodger, the dog’s head falling to the side, enjoying every scratch. He crouched next to her and gave him a few firm rubs, the dog licking his face. “Oh man, come on!” he sputtered, laughing along with Lucy. “Come you big lug, let me get you a treat.”

Dodger perked up at the word, running to the kitchen area and sitting near one of the cabinets.

“He’s amazing Chris, what a smart dog.” She followed him through the living room to the open concept kitchen, sitting on one of the high bar stools while he rummaged inside the cabinet, getting a couple of fruity dog biscuits.

“I adopted him while I was filming, he’s been with me for two months now. His name was Benny but he didn’t look like a Benny to me, you know?” he explained while closing the cabinet door. He then went to the fridge and grabbed two water bottles and handing one to Lucy.

“Thanks. Oliver and Company, right? It suits him, he does look like a Dodger.” She took a long drink and his eyes couldn’t look away from her long neck while she swallowed. His paints tightened, the desire to have once again being stocked.

He shook his head a little. He was getting hard by watching her drink water,  _get a grip man_. “I’m impressed, not many people know that.”

“Not many people are Disney aficionados, are they?” She took another drink, smiling at him and an audible growling ‘ _mine’_  sounded inside his head.

 _‘Ok Christopher, time to speed things up.’_ Chris made Dodger follow him to the other side of the kitchen and into the laundry area. “You’re gonna hang out here for a while, ok boy? Come on, get in your bed. Good boy. Here are two treats for ya’.”

He patted the dog again and closed the laundry room door.

“I feel bad for making him stay away from you,” Lucy said while he washed his hands, rubbing one on his face to get rid of the dog slobber on his cheek. Plucking a napkin from the counter, he dried his face and walk around the big island to stand in front of her.

“He has a bed in almost every room of this house, but he stays in the laundry when I’m out for the day, he’ll be fine, I promise.” With one hand in each of her knees, Chris parted her legs and got closer, the high stool making it so their mouths were at the same height. He ghosted his lips over hers, never really touching them, his nose grazing her cheeks. “Enough about my dog for now.”

Eyes locked together, his hands massaged her jeans-covered thighs while traveling upwards, dragging her dress sweater with them, kissing her at the same moment his hands touched the skin of her waist for the first time.

Chris eased his way into her mouth, kissing her upper lips and her lower lips. She tasted fresh, like the water she had just drunk with hints of the red wine from earlier in the day still lingering. Her arms embraced his shoulders, one hand taking a handful of hair while the other holds him by the neck, needing him as close as possible. His tongue gently caressed hers, the same fluid movements of his hands discovering her supple skin, making her moan at the contact, the sound a direct connection to his rapidly hardening cock.

“So fucking soft…” he murmured against her mouth, taking a deep breath filled with her. He laid open-mouthed kisses to her chin and neck, teeth scraping gently the hollow of her throat, applying pressure he knew would leave a mark. A hand skimmed over her waist, thumb circling the belly button and he felt her shivering, pushing her body closer to him.

“I want you, Chris,” she moaned his name, a sweet sound that only spurred him on and made him kiss her again. Small hands grazed his beard on their way down, fingernails scraping over his chest and coming to a rest near the hem of his t-shirt to lift it. “Need you.”

“I’ve got you, babe,” he stopped kissing her just long enough to get the fabric over his head, groaning when her wet lips made contact with the hardness of his chest, eager hands exploring the hair on his low abdomen before rubbing his length, making it difficult to concentrate. He wanted her in his bed. “Let’s move this upstairs.”

They stumbled inside the bedroom and Chris wasted no time pressing Lucy against the wall, kissing her hard and hitching one of her legs over his waist, rocking against her core, loving the sounds and whimpers her mouth made. She discarded her sweater between trusts and his hands quickened to coop the breasts, kneading the exposed flesh.

Chris noticed the branches circling her right arm, shades of greys and reds moving all the way from her elbow to her shoulder, continuing down her back.  He wanted to ask about them, but her whimper brought his attention back to the task at hand.  _Later_ , he thought.

“Don’t stop baby,” her whispering turned to moans when his mouth closed over a bra covered nipple. Lucy ground on his thigh, throwing her head back and pushing her chest into his hands, needing more. Her lace bra hit the floor somewhere and she sang when he pushed her breasts together, dropping kisses all over, alternating between left and right, fingers and mouth working in tandem to bring her pleasure, swirling his tongue around a tight peak while pinching the other. “Fuck Chris.”

Her jeans were opened and lowered so fast Chris was actually proud of himself. He crouched to help her out of her socks and a stubborn pant leg and was taken aback by the sight of her; he thought she was beautiful before, but Lucy’s body was made to entice him, long legs, round thighs, lavish ass.

“Fucking gorgeous,” he touched every inch of her body on his way up, kissing a path from her knees to her mound, tongue darting out to taste her, hands firmly planted on her ass cheeks. He licked her through her soaked panties, making her cry and grab his hair. “You smell amazing baby, can I have a taste?” He felt giddy, hands hastening to lower her underwear, kissing the inside of her thighs, his beard tickling her folds, urging one of her legs over his shoulder.

His tongue was relentless, probing and tasting everywhere it could reach, his mouth tracing a path from her pussy to her clit and back again. He followed her moans and sighs, testing how she reacted to each pass over her sensitive lips till he found a cadence that had her bucking against him, hands on his hair almost too tight.

“Please… oh Chris, please, more,” her head lulled to the side, eyes glazed over.

“I’ve got you, Lucy, I’m right here baby.” Two fingers circled her entrance, coating themselves in her slickness and he closed his lips over her clit at the same time he entered her, establishing a hard and fast rhythm.

Her moans were loud, cursing and pleading for more, Chris could feel her tightening against his fingers, almost ready to lose control.

“That’s it, baby, cum for me, show me how beautiful you are when you peak,” his fingers curled and brushed against her walls, mouth firmly attached to her bud.

“Chris,” her whole body shook and contracted, a deep wail reaching his ears when she came, “God, Chris.”

He lowered her leg from his shoulder and rose up, meeting her hooded eyes, a large smile on her face.

“You’re quite good at that Chris,” a shaking palm cupped his cheek, her thumb glossing over his shining lips before bringing his head down, kissing and sucking on his tongue, moaning at the taste of herself on his mouth.

“I had quite the audience, didn't want to disappoint.” He moved them to the edge of the bed, Lucy sitting when her knees hit the edge of the high bed.

“Oh baby, you might be nominated for that performance alone.” She reached for his tented boxers, stroking him and planting kisses around his navel while she lowered the garment. Her hands fisted the base, stroking upwards with a firm hand, twisting her fingers on their way down. She repeated the movements a few times, her mouth getting closer with each stroke. He felt hot and almost bowled over when her lips kissed the crown of his cock.

“FUCK.”

She giggled right before taking him into her mouth and the vibrations made him close his eyes, fisting handfuls of fiery ringlets. Her mouth was ruthless, enveloping him a bit more with each downward stroke, her tongue following the thick vein on the underside on her way up. He wouldn't last much longer, her mouth played him like a talented musician and although he would love to let her finish her concert, he needed to be inside her.

His hands tugged at her hair, making her look up at him and Chris almost came at the sight.

“You’re doing amazing baby, but this whole day has been a fucking long foreplay, I need to fuck you before I explode.” He explained when he saw her confused face. He helped her lay in the middle of his king bed, getting a condom from the bedside table before joining her.

Chris’ eyes roamed over her body while he rolled the latex over him, falling just a bit harder for the woman resting there, elbows propping her upper body, hair fawned around her shoulders, lustful eyeing him. She was exquisite, different from any other he’d had before.

“Do you know how beautiful you are?” he crawled over, hands clasping her neck when his mouth locked over hers, bodies molding together. “How hot you make me feel, how much I wanna sink my hard cock into that tight channel of yours?”

A moan reverberated under him, her arms cycling around his shoulder and grabbing his ass, trying to pull him closer.

“Please…”

“Please what baby?” he rubbed against her folds, the tip of his cock pressing on her entrance, the pad of his thumb pressing down on her clit. He lavished kisses at her neck and collarbone, licking a trail to her ear, nipping at her earlobe.  “I can make you feel so, so good baby, but you’ll have to ask for it.”

“Please fuck me, Chris. Please, plea…” she cries when he enters her hard and fast, walls clamping down around him as he pauses, waiting for her to adjust to his size.

He caresses her face, kissing her cheeks, nose and finally her mouth, his tongue stroking hers at the same pace of his thrusts. Legs over his waist, ankles joined and heels pressing on his ass, the new angle making him slide deeper till he’s fully sheathed into her.

“Fuck, you feel amazing, baby.” He picks a rigorous pace, elbows around her head, the bed rocking, headboard hitting the wall with every forward motion. Groans and words fall from his mouth, the pleasure rolling around him in waves, his whole body heating up. He kisses her neck, licks her shoulder, the saltiness of her skin spurring him on.

“Chris… I need your cock baby, fuck me good.” Swollen lips kiss him, biting and pulling on him, dragging her teeth on his jaw to bite him on the neck, right where his beard turns to a stubble he didn’t shave that morning.

He feels the bite of her fingernails digging into his back, adding yet another layer to the sensations bubbling up. It’s gonna leave a mark and the thought of being branded by her makes him slam harder into her. “You look like a goddess, taking my cock, squeezing me like that. So good baby.”

His words spin her into a frenzy, hips rolling against his seeking friction, needing more, whimpers giving away to deep moans and cries. “God Chris, yes, harder baby, I want you so much. Please.” Her fingers curl around his hair, bringing him closer still and she shivers when his hard chest rubs against her taut nipples.

His thrusts turn brutal, each one crashing into her a bit more forceful, demanding her body to answer. She’s panting hard, grabbing anywhere her hands can reach, her whole body growing taut before she comes with a cry, shaking all over, her walls contracting around him.

“Chris…”

He’s there as well, his head tucked next to hers, eyes closed. His thrusts become erratic, shallow and deep, never truly leaving the warmth around him, his length swelling when he comes inside her shouting her name, a hoarse moan filling the bedroom.

She tenderly kisses his wet temple and he feels her fingers combing his hair before lazily traveling across his back, a content sigh on her lips.

“Hi.” Chris kisses her shoulder and can’t help but smile when he feels her shiver. He peppers her face with kisses and she giggles happily and he thinks he would slay a dragon just to hear that sound again.

“Hi.” She traces the lines of his face when their rest their foreheads together. “You have a beautiful nose.”

 _What in the world?_  This woman was certified the most strange and amazing one he’d ever met and he couldn’t help but laugh. “What?”

She laughs with him and suddenly they are lost to a fit of giggles, making him roll over from her and into his back, hand grabbing his chest.

“I’m sorry, I have no idea why I just said that.” She covers her eyes with an arm, still laughing. “One could say you... fucked my brains out.”

They are laughing again and Chris couldn’t remember when was the last time he laughed right after sex. People nowadays were guarded, never showing their hands even when they got naked together. Her carefree attitude and spontaneity were not something he was used to. He could get used to that very fast.

“You’re one crazy lady.” He pecks her on the cheek before heading to the bathroom, coming back a few minutes later. “I’m gonna let Dodger out, is it alright if he sleeps here? He has a bed in the corner, but uh, he usually ends up my bed with me.”

“It’s his house Chris, of course, he can sleep on his own bed.” She moves to the bathroom and he stops at the door, watching her naked backside swaying as she walks.

The last woman he brought home wasn’t so happy when the large dog jumped on the bed, demanding Chris had the dog removed.  _That_  relationship was doomed from the start and that attitude just made it end much faster. Again,  _what was he thinking_? Shaking his head, he goes downstairs.

“Hey boy.” Chris pats the dog on the head. “Listen, Dodge, I have company tonight, so maybe you might wanna stick to your own bed alright? She’s a great girl though, she really liked you earlier, didn’t she? Yeah, she liked you, yeah she did.” He kisses the pooch snout, making the dog shake his head. “Yeah, you liked her too, I know you like them pretty ladies who give you head scratches. You know what Dodge, I really like her too.”

They make their way to Chris’ bedroom, turning off lights, Dodger carrying his stuffed lion with him.

Lucy’s getting under the covers when they arrive and Chris is happy to see she’s still naked.

“Bit of neat freak, aren’t you?” he asks when he sees both their clothes neatly folded and sitting on the upholstery chair near the window.

“Yep.” She shrugs unapologetically. “It’s something simple that I can control, grounds my wandering mind.”

“Sounds like something my therapist would say.” He tries to keep his voice neutral, he enjoys his time with his own therapist, but he knows not everyone feels the same, not all problems have an easy solution.

“Yeah, sometimes it’s good to have an uninvolved party to talk to, gives you a little focus you know?” she tries to sound confident but her eyes are looking anywhere but him and he’s not surprised when she completely changes the subject. “I didn’t know what side of the bed you sleep, I can move if you want.”

“Always the closest to the door, I don’t really care about sides,” he stops by the bedside table, picking up another condom and leaving it within reach.

“Think you’re gonna get lucky tonight uh?” she laughs when he slides next to her, guiding her to lay down on him. ,

He loves the feel of her naked body molded to his, one of his legs between hers, her heat pressed flush against his side.

“I already did baby, you came home with me.” The need to kiss her overwhelms him and he invades her mouth with his tongue, their swollen lips tender to the touch. “I can’t get enough of you, let me take you out tomorrow.”

She nods and he kisses her again.

“Penny said something about the Museum of Fine Arts and the Science Museum, I heard there was a butterfly garden?”

“At the Science Museum, yes. I don’t know how many butterflies will be around because it’s winter, but the place is amazing, so much to do, you’ll love it.” He traces the red and pink flowers circling her arm. “Let me see your back.”

She disengages their legs and turns around, laying on her back and he gasps.

“Fucking amazing baby.” His fingers trace the black branches of the cherry tree, the black ink covering the whole right side of Lucy’s back in small branches, all connecting to a large trunk sitting at the small of her back. Cherry tree flowers in shades of pink and red covers the branches, some in bloom, some still just buds, with a few scattered petals being taken away by an unseen wind. The branches and flowers flow over her right shoulder and down her arm, stopping right above the inside of her elbow, where a single flower lays losing its petals, one of them tattooed over the scars he felt earlier. He gingerly touches them when he moves to spoon her, “Would you tell me about this?”

“Maybe one day. Not today or tomorrow though.” Her voice is low and has a touch of deep sadness to it and the need to protect and comfort her slam him like a thousand bricks. “Goodnight Chris.”

“Goodnight babygirl.” With the touch of a button near the headboard, the bedroom is engulfed in blackness. He pulls her as close as she can be, arms tight around her soft middle, nuzzling her neck and kissing underneath her ear.

.._.._.._..

The light coming from the streets below brighten the room in a yellow hue, the snow tapping the window as it falls.

They awaken at the same time almost, one not used to light when they sleep, the other running from a nightmare. Both feeling the heat of him pressing against her backside, the slick of her core wetting his thigh. Their kisses are languid, hands moving slowly but with a purpose, kneading and stroking, plucking and rubbing. He dons the condom and enters her, one of her leg drapes over his, moving together like waves in a nightly sea. His touch is fire on her skin, burning hot and sending her demons scurrying back into the closet of her mind, their absence filled with undiluted pleasure and she craves more, craves him. He’s close, so close, but refuses to crash alone and so moves his touches lower, circling the wetness they created together on the rigid bundle of nerves near her core while he fills, stretching her on his hardness, teasing her senses with filthy words whispered in her ears. He sees the last wave coming, hitched breaths and long moans filling the space between them and they fall together, lips surrounding each other.

He leaves for a moment, coming back with another blanket because  _it’s too damn cold_ , and she snuggles close, smiling sleepily at him.

Dodger senses this has been the last of tonight’s shenanigans and makes his way to the bed, jumping up and getting comfortable between the two sleeping bodies. His rearranges his lion between his paws and rests his head on it, happy his favorite human has a mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is pretty much done, so you'll get another dose in the next couple of days.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about taking so long but work and Endgame had me going crazy the last two weeks.
> 
> I got a little carried away with this chapter, I had so many things I wanted to include and there’s still more three scenes on the cutting room floor, otherwise this would have been 20.000 words.
> 
> As always, I want to hear from you and any feedback is welcome!

Lucy lazily opened her eyes, blinking to adjust to the light feeling the room, streaming from the beautiful arch windows near her side of the bed. Her head throbbed a little, she felt sore in places that hadn’t been used in quite some time, and she admonished herself for not taking some ibuprofen before falling asleep last night.

She tried to move but a firm hand gripped her waist, keeping her in place, digits digging the soft skin of her tummy. She turned her head, carefully to not worsen her headache, and regarded the sleeping man by her side; apparently, they were both stomach sleepers, arms under the pillow type of people and she wondered if that was uncomfortable for him, as he was not lacking on that department. _Like, at all_. She giggled quietly at her teenager mentality, studying the beautiful profile of Chris’s face, fingers itching to get closer, to lose themselves in the soft fur covering his jaw, trace the fullness of the lips that had driven her crazy the night before.

Ghost memories heated her skin as she slid out of the bed, padding softly to the bathroom, her thighs protesting the burn his beard imposed upon them, the sensation not dissimilar to the friction the pole created when learning a new move, but much more pleasant. She washed her face and used his moisturizer, the mirror showing her the purple marks he left on her neck and the top of her breasts, hair in disarray, and a small grin graced her face. She had been loved hard, and she reveled in every minute of it.

Lucy glanced at Chris’ sleeping form, grabbing his folded sweater and her socks and quietly slipping from the room, Dodger following behind her.

“Morning Dodger,” the stairs were cold on her bare feet as she descended. She makes quick work of his sweater, smelling the collar and folding the cuffs. She pulls on the thick socks while scanning the living room, locating her purse on a side table and to find a hair tie, tying a messy bun on top of her head. She grabbed her phone, opening the small bottle of Advil she always kept with her to grab two pills and walked back to the kitchen, where Dodger sat patiently by the door. “Listen, I’m not too keen on the idea of the alarm going off when I open that door, so I’m really sorry, but there won’t be any visits outside till your dad wakes up, alright?”

She could’ve sworn the dog ruffed before a small whine escaped him. Lucy spotted the treat jar on the island and gave the pooch two small ones as a peace offering. Satisfied, she opened the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water and sat on the same stool she had occupied yesterday, unlocking her phone. She sends Penny a quick message saying she won’t be back till later because Chris is taking her to one of the museums and snorts when her sister’s reply is a bunch of eggplant emojis. Siobhan is next and she asks about Morris, quickly retelling what happens without naming Chris and promising to call soon. There’s a message from JP enquiring if Garret’s plan was to propose on Christmas’ Day, and she thinks it’s odd, ‘ _why wouldn’t he ask Garret directly instead of asking me?’_ , she ponders and decides to call her brother later. Her last new message is from Sunny, inviting Lucy to stop by whenever she has the chance. She replies explaining they’ll arrive early on the 23rd, maybe she could have dinner with the family that night.

Opening Instagram, she clicks the plus sign, it’s a habit to always post something about the latest football game she attends; a picture of everyone she’s with, a few words about the game and when the Patriots were involved, a sarcastic remark about Tom Brady. She scrolls through her photos and it suddenly hits her she can’t share the incredible day she had yesterday. Not only all pictures feature Chris, either smiling to the camera or in the background, but he’s also in every quip and every joke she can think of writing. Sure, her account was private, but when was the last time she weeded out her followers? She sighs and closes the app, adding the task to her mental to-do list.

“I was about to file for my missing sweater, but it looks so much better on you than it does on me.” Chris’s voice is right behind her and she jumps a little, but she smiles and spins the stool around to look at him. “Even when paired with those goddamn awful socks.”

“I have cold feet.” Her eyes follow him around and she licks her lips at the sight of the half-naked man turning on the coffee maker, sweatpants hanging dangerously low on his hips and she is almost certain that is the only piece of clothing he’s wearing.

“I kinda noticed that.” He pats Dodger on the head before disarming the alarm and opens the kitchen door, a very happy dog now bouncing on the fresh snow outside. “You might want to have that checked, I believe they’ve frozen some time ago and you just haven’t noticed.” Chris grins at her indignant face and she scowls at him, trying to elaborate a good comeback when he invades her personal space. “Good morning, gorgeous.”

He’s pressed right at her side when he speaks those last words, tilting her head back and kissing her soundly, the hands on her neck keeping her in place, and does she really need to breathe because she just wants to kiss him forever. Her whole body awakens, his touch moving like lightning on her skin. Her palms sprawl over his chest, fingers combing the short hairs covering the muscles and she’s delighted at the small moans coming from him. Sadly yes, they do need air to live and so they part, foreheads touching, fingers caressing and smiles on their faces.

“I believe it’ll be, yes.” She eyes him as he draws on her skin, following the pattern of the cherry tree branches on her arm, reaching the last flower perched near her inner elbow and she tenses. As wonderful as he is, they barely know each other, the scars on her forearm and wrists are part of the demons that plague her dreams, ones that she’s not willing to discuss. She feels better when his fingers skip the scars, going straight to her palms and tangle themselves with her own, bringing her hand up to kiss the knuckles.

“How about some breakfast?” He offers while his mouth skims over her hands. “There’s this great place right around the corner that serves breakfast till 3 p.m., we can walk over there and get my car afterward, go to the Museum?”

“Breakfast food for lunch?” her stomach grumbles at the mention of food. “I was gonna make a joke about it being so very un-Hollywood of you, but as you heard it, parts of me are already on board with the plan. But I do need coffee first.”

“As milady wishes.” He goes back to find two cups in the higher cabinet, grabbing the creamer from the fridge and setting it all on the island in front of her before seating by her side, “How are you feeling today?”

“I woke up with a bit of a headache, a little sore too, but I took some Advil when I came down, I’ll be right as new in a few hours.” She rests her chin on her hands watching as he scoots the chair closer to hers, knees touching as he runs slow circles on the small of her back.

“I’m sorry about the soreness baby, but damn, it was a tight fit, I almost blew my load when I first entered you, you felt so good.”

He says it like he’s commenting on the weather, not of giving her the best sex of her life. Her cheeks felt warm; the man had no filter, did he?

“It’s been a while since I last fooled around with anyone, it’s been mostly me and my hand for the past twenty months.” Apparently, she had no qualms talking about it with him either. Lucy felt at easy with Chris, from the first time they looked at each other she felt like a missing piece of herself finally found its way home. How would she keep going after today? She shook her head to clear her head, she wouldn’t think about that now. “And you're going around with a large concealed weapon in those pants. How do you get past TSA with that?”

He laughs with a deep bass guffaw, slapping his knee.

“Wanna give me a pat down, Officer Seabrook?” a waggle of his eyebrows had her chuckling before he got serious. “But almost two years baby, are New Yorkers that blind? You look smoking hot, _do not give me that look_ , ‘cuz you do. I’d be following you around like a lost puppy for that ass alone.”

“There were plenty of opportunities, it’s just… It never felt right, I guess? I…” she stopped, unsure about giving up too much of her past. What was with this guy and the need to know all her secrets? And what was up with her and wanting to tell them all to him, hoping he wouldn’t run away screaming?

“Then I’m extremely glad it felt right yesterday. Because it felt right to me too, the moment you walked into that room? I was a goner. You had me at hello and all that shit.” He grinned at her over his cup, but she could tell his eyes were studying her and at some point, they would come back to this conversation.

“And all that shit uh? You’re such a romantic. Wait, the fact that you even know that the movie is awesome enough. It’s one of my favorites”

“Figures you’d have the hots for Tom Cruise being angsty as fuck” He laughed and batted away the packet of Splenda she threw at him.

“Oh shush, he’s not angsty, he’s had a revelation and it’s acting upon it. Plus, the ‘show me the money scene’ is already movie history.”

Chris let Dodger back inside before grabbing the coffee pot, and he sat facing her, a sheepish grin on his face while he poured himself a cup.

“So, if you had to choose, wine or coffee?” he asked as he prepared his drink; three sugars, a splash of creamer.

“Coffee, no doubts about it. I love wine but by this point in my life, I have coffee running in my veins instead of blood. There’s no way I could give the liquid gold up.” She poured half a cup, skipping the sugar and filling the other half of the cup with the creamer.

“What the hell,” he eyed her cup suspiciously, “that is not coffee baby, that’s an insult to anyone who drinks coffee.”

“Says the person who puts enough sugar in his cup to rotten teeth.” She scoffed before taking a long drink. “Delicious.”

“Oh my god, you’re one of those girls.” Chris grabbed his chest, pretending it hurts. “You order a PSL at Starbucks.” He finished with a low, horrified voice, whipping an imaginary tear from his eye.

Lucy was glad she wasn’t drinking when he finished because she laughed so hard, she snorted

“One hot, venti, two-shot, almond milk, no whip pumpkin spice latte. I’m a basic bitch who loves her PSL, so sue me.” She shrugged and broughy her cup to her lips, sipping slowly.

“I bet the barista knows your name and draws a smile on the damn cup too.” He raised an eyebrow at her, and she smiled over the brim of the cup, giving a little shrug. “I knew it!”

“There’s a store on the same block of my apartment and it’s on the way to the subway, they’ve been there since I moved to New York, of course they know me by name by now.” Pouring more coffee into her mug, she acknowledged, “This is absolutely delicious though, it’s Hawaiian Kona coffee, right?”

“Color me impressed.” Chris grinned, nodding his head. “It’s one of the few things I splurge on, I have the company send a few beans bags every month to wherever I am staying. I refuse to drink the goo they serve at most places when I’m doing press for a movie.”

“You’re a coffee diva.” She stated, amused by his confession.

“Some people hate green M&Ms, I hate bad coffee.” He conceded laughing. “I even provide the coffee, it’s not like they have to go and buy it, you know? Just follow the instructions or let my assistant make it and I’m a happy guy.”

“What is that like, having an assistant?” Lucy glanced at Chris, untrimmed beard, mussed hair, no shirt, ratty sweats and barefoot. Incredibly good looking, but more of guy-next-door than a movie star, she almost forgot he was more than Garret’s hot best friend.  Their worlds differed so much, she couldn’t imagine having someone on her beck and call, or worst, a publicist. That gave her pause and she pursed her lips in thought while he responded.

“It’s weird at first, someone controlling your schedule, telling you where you need to be and when. But you get used to it so fast, especially since they seem to know exactly what you need and they deliver it, you know? Almost like a superpower, they learn how to read you and anticipate your moods.” Chris pondered and looked away embarrassed when he continued. “It’s… convenient. If you’re not careful you can get lost inside the Hollywood lifestyle, get jaded by the lights and you end up forgetting who you truly are. It almost happened to me once and I swore I wouldn’t let it happen again. It’s one of the reasons Tobias stays in Los Angeles whenever I’m here, I can take care of myself, I can be Chris.”

His words reassured her, but one question lingered. He was famous, he had an image to protect. As Samuel clearly reminded her, most people only saw her as a glamourized, _overweight_ , stripper. She turns to face him, “Do I have to sign an NDA? Would pictures of the two of us together be bad for you?”

“What, Lucy, no.” he shakes his head startled. “First of all, NDAs are ridiculous, they rarely work, I know that first hand. Maybe if you’re into some hard kink sex and doing it with random people, then okay, an NDA would be ideal, but I don’t ask people who I sleep with to sign them. And no, a picture of us together wouldn’t be bad for my image, it might stir some pots because some people believe they can dictate who I date…” Shaking his head, he grabbed her hand, linking their fingers together. “I know we’re still getting to know each other but one thing you should know is that I rarely give a fuck to what the media or the general public think of me. I keep my people close to my vest, I don’t talk about friends and girlfriends in interviews, but that’s because it isn’t anybody’s business what I do on my personal time. But I won’t shy away from being around someone I care about either. If a picture leaks or if they follow me when I’m with someone, I set my publicist on their cases because they are assholes, but the one thing I won’t do is to acknowledge their presence or react to them. It’s what they want, and I learned to tune them out.”

“I’m sorry doing what you love comes with so much bullshit involved.” Her thumb rubbed circles on his palm, in a soothing manner, her free hand combing his tousled hair. “Just so you know, if you decide a week from now that maybe I should sign one of those ridiculous things, I’d do it.”

“Thank you. The fact that you offered is enough.” Chris leaned into her hand, almost purring from the feeling of her fingers massaging his scalp. He closes his eyes, enjoying the moment and Lucy wants to save this forever, a perfect reminder of their time together.

He tasted of coffee when she kissed him, molding her mouth over his, dragging her lips sweetly across his own. She tasted like cream when his tongue touched hers, light touches that entice her, coaxing her lips to follow his when he retreats, seeking more, needing more.

The whiskers on his face tease her skin when he drags a line from her mouth to her neck, nipping hard at the pulse point, sucking the skin to sooth the bite. She gasps at how pleasurable the tiny amount of pain feels, fingers splashed on his hair, pulling him back till she devours his mouth, taking the lead.

His hands are everywhere, cupping her neck to hold her in place, squeezing the soft flesh of her breasts, gripping her thighs, finally circling her waist to bring her closer to him, hiking up legs over his, making the sweater she’s wearing rode up, his eyes popping when he realized she’s not wearing anything under it.

“Such a naughty girl you are baby.” Chris murmured against her mouth with a grin.

“I’m full of surprises.” She pulled the string securing the pants and it pools on the V of his abdomen, his cock springing upwards to rest against his belly. “I see I’m not the only one not wearing underwear.” Fingernails rake on the hard muscles of his abdomen while her teeth do the same to his collarbone, biting his neck. A thumb grazes the silky skin of his head and he twitches underneath her palm, his soft moans delighting her.

Her sweater is halfway up her body now, a large hand cupping the globes of her buttocks, while the other is busy massaging a hard nipple. Ripples of hot lava dances over her with every pass of his finger.

“I love how responsive you are, how you look ready to cum just with me playing with your tits.” Chris lowered his head to take a hard peak in his mouth when Lucy heard the low rumble of his stomach, making her raise an eyebrow at him. He ignored it and shushed her with a kiss, slating his mouth over her giggling lips, bringing her back to the moment.

A second, louder rumble follows. There was a pause and their eyes open, green meeting blue, mouths pressed together turning to grins before they are both laughing.

“I guess I’m hungry.” He remarked.

“When was the last time you ate something?” a hand smooths down her sweater when she stold up.

“I had a pretty nice snack last night.” A wiggle of his brows had her punching him on the shoulder as she narrowed her eyes at him, still laughing.

“Oh my god, you’re such a man Christopher.”

“Glad you noticed babe.” He embraced her, kissing her shoulder. “Come on, we can shower together and save time.”

..__..__..__..__..

 _Showering together did not save time_ , she remarked when Chris closes the door behind him. It’s almost noon when they finally leave his house, all bundled up, gloved hands clasped together. There was no snow right now, but it’s supposed to start back late afternoon, so the plan was to be back home before that.

Lucy wasn’t sure exactly what he meant. Would he drop her off at Garret’s house after their _outing_ (she didn’t dare call it a date) or would they go back to his place together? Sure, she understood the concept of one-night stands; she’d had her fair share of them but spending the day with one of them was never part of the deal, they had never asked, always leaving her house before the sun was up. In the beginning, she didn’t care about them leaving, her walls kept her safe, away from heartbreak. She had given herself away twice before and she had the scars, emotional and physical, to remind her not try it again.

Being single wasn’t something that bothered Lucy like it had bothered Penny or Siobhan and, unlike her sister and her best friend, she had welcomed it, focusing her energy and passion into dancing. She was proud of what she had accomplished in the last twelve years, the dance studio was thriving, she had made a name of herself and was now giving back to the community as much as she could.

Yet she now yearned for more. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly when that happened but somewhere in the last six months the feeling snuck up on her and was now part of her daily routine, accompanying her from dusk to dawn. She pushed it aside, tried to bury it under her work but, no matter how late she stayed in her studio, how hard she danced, how tired she was, the loneliness that greeted her when she arrived home made her ache.

She wanted what JP had with Marianna. She wanted what she saw between Penny and Garret.

She had no idea how to get it.

Her eyes glanced over at the man walking beside her. Chris was funny, charming, interested in what she had to say and what she did for a living. It didn’t hurt the whole package was contained inside a sinful body, and boy, did he know how to use that body. She shook her head. This was a one-time thing, it’s not like he would want to see her again.

“We’re here,” Chris announced with a muffled voice, concealed beneath the heavy scarf covering his mouth, pointing to the red stone building that occupied the corner of the block they just turned. “The food here is amazing, you can’t go wrong with anything really.”

Lucy looks up before they enter and sees a neon sign with Mike’s City Diner written on it. The place had an old school vibe, a red, black and white theme that reminded her of the diner in Cooperstown, the one she went to almost every day after school for milkshakes and grilled cheese, or for family breakfast during the weekend. She’s about to ask if he comes here often when his name is called by a pretty brunette wearing an apron with the diner’s logo on it.

“Hi Chris,” the woman is all teeth and pink lipstick when she winked at him. Lucy tries to not pay attention to the way the hand not holding the coffee pot squeezed his biceps in hello.

“Hi, Corinne. Is my table occupied?” he questioned, removing his winter gear.

“It is, but the booth next to it is free, if you seat turned to the back wall, I’m sure no one will bother you. We’re past the rush hour anyway.” She grabbed a couple of menus from the counter and lead them to the very back of the restaurant, away from the windows. “I’ll bring some fresh coffee for you.”

Chris helped Lucy out of her coat and mentioned for her to get in first. He slid next to her and wrapped an arm around her back, pulling her closer.

“I take you’re a regular?” She asked while reading over the menu.

“Yeah, I come almost every day when I’m not at my mom’s house. I’m an okay cook, but breakfast food is my favorite and I rather not screw it up.” He nodded, not even looking up at the menu. “Very kind people, delicious food, most patrons are either engrossed on their food or too deep in conversation to notice me, which is a plus.”

“I grew up going to a very similar diner back home. My friends and I would spend whole afternoons at Patty’s, doing homework and playing the arcade games he’d kept in the back room. He was the sweetest guy, always looking out for the town’s kids, running fundraisers for a neighbor in need… And the food was so, so good.” Wistful eyes looked around the place, taking in the decor and the warm way the waiters would talk to the customers.

Corinne approached with a smoking pot of coffee, sashaying her mint skirt as she did. She poured Chris’s coffee and points the pot to Lucy in question. “Want some, sugar?”

“Please.”

“Alright, you guys know what you want?” she placed the pot on their table, whisking out a white pad.

Chris signaled Lucy to go first and she orders the cinnamon walnut waffles with a side fruit, saying no to the meat.

“I’ll have the Dynamic Duo with bacon and scrambled eggs. And she wants cream, lots of it.” Chris said with a teasing smile.

“I can drink my coffee black, you know?” Lucy huffed after Corinne leaves them alone.

“Yes, but do you like it?” He gave her a pointed look, a lone eyebrow raised at her.

_That was so unfair, who could resist that damn eyebrow?_

“No,” she answers with a pout.

He laughs and steals a quick kiss. “So, no meat?”

“No meat. I can’t call myself a vegetarian because I love cheese and eggs and still indulge in some seafood, but it’s been almost ten years since I decided to stop eating red meat, eight since I last ate chicken.”

“Impressive. Hemsworth is thinking about adopting a plant-based regimen on our next bulk up. We’ve been discussing it for a while.” He played with the empty sugar packets, sighing. “I don’t think I could do it.”

“Chris, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. I don’t know the guy, but if he’s your friend I’m sure he’ll understand.” Her hand closed around his, giving it a squeeze. “Quitting anything is hard, my friend Terry has been trying to stop drinking soda since I first met him, sometimes he goes months without a single drop, other times he drinks Coke for breakfast, lunch, dinner and midday snacks.”

“Don’t I know it. I’ve quit smoking maybe a dozen times now. But I pick it back up whenever I’m stressed or if I go clubbing a lot.” He picked her hand up, dropping each finger on the table only to do it again. “I stopped after I broke up with my last girlfriend.”

Lucy pursued her lips. She once had called Penny to see how her sister was doing and throughout the conversation, Penny had been curt with her, until Lucy snapped and decided to end the call. That was when Penny apologized and explained she was mad by proxy because Chris’ girlfriend was being a bitch, divulging personal details about their relationship. Lucy didn’t know the actress was, but she instantly disliked the woman.

“Uh, so maybe a good thing come out of that?” her smile was sympathetic.

“Yeah,” Chris gave her a warm smile. “I was single when I met you.”

“And if you weren’t?” it was a serious question disguised within a light smile.

“Here’s the thing, I don’t cheat. I may be a shitty boyfriend at times, especially with all the traveling and time away from each other, but cheating? That is inexcusable.” His eyes were fixed on hers when he continued and the intensity she found in those eyes made her squirm in her seat. “Had I been dating someone I’d have watched you from afar, cursing whatever deity for giving me a glimpse of yourself when they’d know I couldn’t act on it… The truth is I would have left the game. I was drawn to you like a compass needle is drawn to the north and I wanted you. Anything from the moment we said _hello_ would be considered cheating in my book.”

A flustered laugh escaped Lucy’s mouth; she wasn’t expecting any of what he said, admittedly his stand on cheating mirrored hers but the other half of his speech floored her. Never had a man been so candid in his interest towards her and she was at a loss for words.

She was saved by the arrival of a boisterous man who introduced himself to her as Jay, the owner of Mike’s City Diner. He and Chris shared that typical bro hug after he set down the plates.

“I took the liberty of making your waffle with almond milk when Corinne told me you said no meat.” He had an accent she couldn’t place it. “I hope it is to your liking.”

“That’s very thoughtful, thank you.” She took a bite of the waffle and moaned at the taste, speaking between bites. “This is amazing Jay, best waffle ever.”

“Thank you. I’m happy you like.” He looked between Chris and Lucy. “It is the first time you bring woman with you. Corinne was… disappointed. I can see why she can’t compete with your chosen fire head. Beautiful woman.”

“Keep it up and I’ll tell Janet you’re hitting on my girl.” Chris pointed his forkful of pancakes at Jay, before popping it in his mouth.

“Janet more prettier than Lucy because Janet is my wife.” Jay grinned at them. “I’ll leave you to your food. Wonderful day friends.”

She busied herself with another forkful of waffles and strawberries, trying not to focus too much on Chris calling her his girl.

“Don’t mind Jay, he’s a flirt. Didn’t I tell you the food was good?” Chris drizzled more syrup on his pancakes. “The man is a breakfast food king if I was a billionaire I’d hire him as my personal breakfast chef!”

“But you gotta eat more than just breakfast though. Who would you hire for dinner service?” she dumped most of the cream in her coffee, smirking when Chris cringed.

“Uhm… that’s a tough one.” He stroked his beard in thought. “Either Tyler Florence or Jeff Mauro… I’m going with Jeff Mauro; I love sandwiches and he _is_ the king. What about you?”

“I don’t even need to think about it, it’s all about the good vanilla and the Italian mascarpone! Ina Garten is the Barefoot Contessa for a reason.” She observed.

“Now that would cost you an arm and a leg.” Chris countered. “And if you want Jeff to go make the cheese in a climate-controlled cave in Connecticut, then you’d be bankrupt by the next dinner service.”

“But she told me store bought was fine.”

“Store bought is never fine.” He gasped in mock horror.

Trying to contain her laugh had Lucy wiping away the moisture from the corner of her yes. “I can’t believe you watch Food Network, Chris!”

“Well, there’s just so many times you can play Boggle while on set. Sometimes you just want to watch something to take your mind off things you know?” He pushed his empty plate away, mirth in his voice. “Plus Chopped is psych! Scarlett, Sebastian and I place bets on our favorites. I usually leave a hundred dollars richer by the end of our marathons.”

..__..__..__..__..__

The Museum of Science was somewhat busy for a Monday since most schools in the city were already off for the Holidays, making Chris lower his cap to cover his eyes as they entered the building.

Lucy’s eyes got big when she took in the place. “Oh my god, this is incredible! It’s almost bigger than the Museum of Natural back in New York.”

“I believe New York has more exhibits but we have more square footage or something like that. They grow everything big in Mass.” He winked.

“Don’t I know it?” Lucy waggled her eyebrows, laughing before grabbing the map she had picked up at the entrance. “Alright, what’s the plan?”

“I got us tickets to the Lightning! show at two, the Planetarium at three thirty and the butterfly garden at five pm.” Chris held her hand and lead her to the right side of the building while pointing things up in the map she held. “Maybe we could start with the dinos and make our way back to the red wing for the show?”

“Let’s head downstairs and see the Triceratops exhibit then, they are my favorite.”

“So, you like then horny, uh?” Chris whispered in her ear while they descended the escalator.

“Horny and big boned.” She whispered back with a straight face, a sneaky hand landing on the fly of his pants. “Small boners just don’t do it for me.”

A mother cleared her throat behind them just as they reached the lower level, and they moved quickly out of the way, looking sheepishly at the woman giving them a death glare before bursting into giggles.

“You’re such a bad influence on me.” Chris tutted at Lucy, bringing her close to his side and putting an arm around her shoulders.

“ME?” she protested with a laugh. “I was merely stating the fact that I like big dinosaurs, like a triceratops or a brachiosaur.”

“I’ll show you a brachiosaur when we get home.” He winked at her.

“If I recall correctly, your brachiosaur has quite a thick neck. Can I pet it? Maybe kiss it a few times?” She teased him, rubbing his forearm in a suggestive manner.

“Are you trying to make me pop a boner in public woman?” she saw him discreetly adjusting himself. “Come on, let’s see those dinos.”

The exhibit was fantastic, three full skeletons held the main floor, including a small, unhorned hatchling that made Lucy tear up. They admired the displays, taking turns pointing something they liked and debating which dinosaur would in against various superheroes, in the end deciding Hulk would probably join the dinosaur side, just to even things out. When they got to the T-Rex exhibit, Chris joked about this being Dodger’s wet dream and that he the only reason he wouldn’t steal a bone to take home to Dodger was that it wouldn’t fit inside his house, prompting Lucy to ask about it.

“The whole main floor is gorgeous, but I looooove your kitchen, it’s freaking amazing. If I ever move, I want a huge kitchen just like yours!”

“It was the first room I renovate when I bought the house last year.” Chris beamed. “Every detail, from the island to the fixtures have a history or a special meaning. I installed the backsplash myself.”

“Wait, you did it yourself?” Lucy asked, wide-eyed.

“The backsplash yeah, but I’ve had a lot of help from Dix and Garret during the reno. I also stained the hardwood and installed the mantle over the fireplace.” Chris grinned proudly and pulled up his phone, opening the gallery app and showing Lucy the before pictures. “Dix’s a contractor, damn good one too. We hired a design to come up with a general idea of I wanted and went from there. We’ve finished all the main floor, the master bedroom, and bathroom plus the staircase, but the other three bedrooms, the guest bathroom, basement and the backyard are kind of a mess. We only work on the house when I’m not filming, so it’s going slow.”

They walked over to the entrance of the Theater of Electricity as it was almost time for the show to start, and sat on a backless wooden bench, away from the main area, Chris straddling the bench and Lucy facing him, one leg bent over the smooth surface.

“Chris, the fact that you decided to tackle your own renovations when you could just pay someone to do it for you is remarkable. It speaks volumes of what you are as a person and what you want in life. My dad always quotes, _we shape our buildings: thereafter, they shape us_. You’re turning that place into a reflection of what you want for you and it shows.”

Chris regarded her for a moment, wistful eyes scanning hers.

“My ma’ always told me something similar before I moved to Los Angeles: _whatever good things we build, end up building us_. I’ve been trying to live by it, surrounding myself with people that want to build each other up, who share their talents with others in the best way they can. It takes a while to weed out the bad, especially in a place that thrives in being fake. There are many good, hard-working people in L.A. but there are at least three times as fakers and clingers who just want to use you. I love my house there, but sometimes it feels less like a home and that’s especially true now that I’ve bought the condo here. Ma’ was ecstatic when I told her I had found a place here, granted she wanted me closer in Sudbury, but I reckon Boston is a heck of a lot closer than Los Angeles. She helped decorate the living room and the big ass island was more of her idea than mine, but in the end, I loved it.”

“She’s got an awesome taste; I have the biggest case of kitchen envy now. I absolutely adore my apartment, it isn’t small by the city standards, but it doesn’t have much kitchen space. It certainly doesn’t have a big ass island, but it’s home.” She shrugged.

“I remember Penny mentioning you guys are from somewhere upstate, when did you move to New York?”

Lucy shifted in her seat. She would not think about _him_ and what made her move back home.

“Late 2002. I had just gotten back from England; I went through a rough patch for a while and I wanted to start fresh some place where I could lose myself and not worry about everyone from the neighbors to the Mayor knowing your name. So as soon as I could I packed again and moved to New York. My father was supportive, but my Mamma was livid, she didn’t speak to me for a whole month.” she saw the confusion on his face. “That might not sound like a lot, but my Mamma is originally from Trento, Italy. She embodies all the stereotypes of an Italian woman you can think of. Not talking to me was maybe harder on her than it was on me!”

“My mother is like a quarter Italian so I can relate a little when she gets going is you better shut up and listen because she means business.” Chris nodded. He looked her over and Lucy had the distinct feeling he was trying to pierce some of her story together. He was much more perceptive than she initially thought, there would be no glossing over details with him. “England, uh? For dancing school?”

“Yeah… I joined when I was sixteen. Did almost six years with the company.”

He looked impressed. “That’s a whole lot of time dancing. What was the school like?”

“Demanding. We had to be the best one hundred percent of the time, you could lose your spot if you ever slacked on grades or on your dancing. I had a private tutor for classes, so I had no free time until I was finished with their version of high school. Then I got promoted to first soloist when I was twenty, so I barely know any touristy spots in London.”

“I keep wondering why you don’t want to tell me that you actually danced for the Royal Ballet of London and not some random school.” Chris gave her a pointed look and Lucy’s eyes widened. “Your sister is your biggest fan you know? She might have mentioned you danced with them once… or twenty times.”

Lucy looked away, her face heating up. Penny had been so supportive back in the day, even at thirteen, she was Lucy’s most supportive family member, encouraging her older sister to apply to the scholarship, staying in during the weekends so they could practice together. The events that preceded her return to the States still stung Penny and Lucy never thought her sister would look over them to hype her up to her friends. 

“I don’t know really, I feel like I’m bragging when I mention their name. And some people look at my body and think ‘yeah right’ because a ballerina is supposed to be always this dainty girl and I’m now the opposite of that.” She waved her hand in front of her body. “I got rather crafty with not saying exactly where I studied, they mostly assume it was just a regular dancing school.”

“People are assholes.” He conceded.

The theater doors opened before Chris could comment further and they were ushered inside after handing their tickets to the greeter. They chose a seat near the middle row, moving all the way to the last seats, Chris pulling his cap down and slumping a little in the seat while everyone got seated around them. When the lights diminished, he righted himself up, removing his hat and running a hand through his hair.

Chris brought her arm over her shoulder, drawing her closer. He leaned into her, whispering in her ear. “I’m sure you were the cutest ballerina ever, but I much prefer the upgraded version of you.”

Even if she had any cute comebacks, _and she didn’t_ , lights went up on the stage and the presenter introduced Professor Lightning, who proceeded to show the audience how Tesla coils worked and how to create lightning strikes at the comfort of their own lab. That was the first of the many corny science jokes of the thirty-minute show and Lucy lost herself in it, along with Chris.

..__..__..__..__..

“Maybe they’ll get it ready before we die, can you imagine it? A holiday trip to Mars?” Chris was walking backward while talking to Lucy, hands waving around in excitement, and she thought he looked like a little kid dreaming about what he’d do when he got older. It was the cutest thing.

They had just left the planetarium wing and they decided to head back down to the Starbucks locates at the atrium for some coffee. Chris had fake gagged when she ordered a Caramel Brûlée Latte and she made a show of drinking it slowly, moaning and making faces to get back at him. He ordered three double espressos in a grande cup, making the barista blink and repeat the order back to him.

They were now sitting by one of the many tables overlooking the Charles River, and Chris was dreaming of spending weekends on Mars instead of down in the Bahamas.

“I guess if you had thirty million dollars you could do it.” She agreed just to appease him. She saw his smile get bigger, probably already deciding which investments he’d give up being in that voyage. “You know, for each leg of the trip.”

Chris dropped his shoulder, defeated. “Maybe I could just go to the moon then. A quick getaway to look at Earth from another perspective.”

He looked serious and Lucy had a feeling he was indeed planning for that excursion.

“Would you really do it?” She inquired with a tilt of her head.

“Hell yes, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I’d crap my pants while going up but man, that would be so fucking cool.”

Lucy watched as Chris got a dreamy look on his face and she contemplated if he would think she was crazy if she got him a Christmas gift. She just had the perfect idea for one.

“Send me a picture when you get there ok? You’d pay to go, I wouldn’t go even if they’d paid _me_.”

“Is it the heights?”

“Actually no, I love rollercoasters and I’ve bungee-jumped before.”

“You what?!” He stared at her with wide eyes.

“I did yeah! It’s such a cool experience, I’ll tell you about it sometime.”

“You better! So, if it isn’t heights, what is it?”

“I’m terrified of enclosed spaces. I can barely make out off an elevator without going into a mini panic attack.” Her body did a quick shake at thought of being inside a spaceship. “It’s not too much of being in a tight space but I need windows and I need to know I can quickly get out of the situation if the need arises. You can’t exactly do that while going to the moon.”

“I can see how that would pose a problem.” Chris nodded and finished his coffee. “How do you cope with flying?”

“I have a prescription for Xanax, but I try to avoid using it. I rely on lots and lots of distraction.” She picked her up her phone, unlocked and pulled up Spotify, showing him a playlist labeled _Flying Sucks_ , and he scrolled through her picks. “I’m so glad I don’t need to turn off our phones anymore, I have my headphones on and music blaring from the moment I step into the plane.”

“I’m afraid to ask, but how does one go from Chopin to Slipknot in two songs?” He turned her phone back to her pointing from Nocturne op. 9 to Duality.

Lucy cocked her head at him, a grin on her face.

“My tastes are very singular,” she whispers trying to contain her laugh. “You wouldn’t understand.”

Chris paused for a bit and she saw the moment he got the joke.

“Did you… Did you just quote Fifty Shades Of Grey to me?” Chris was laughing so hard he dropped her phone on the table, his hand automatically landing on his chest. That was the third time she saw him doing that and vowed to try and make him laugh that hard again, it was the most adorable thing.

A few other visitors turned around startled by the sound of his laugh and Lucy shushed him, ineffectively. She saw a teenage girl squinting at Chris, trying to place the man sitting two tables away from her and Lucy immediately got up and stood in front of him, blocking her view.

“Let’s go, doofus, there’s a very curious teen staring at you and I say she’s seconds away from figuring it out who you are.” She gestured with a thumb to the table behind her. Lucy grabbed his hand and pulled him up, Chris lowering his cap while they left the cafeteria area.

“I still can’t believe you quoted that awful movie at me,” Chris said while tossing their cups on a nearby bin.

“And I don’t understand how _you_ know that line at all.” She pointed at him, waggling her finger.

“They uh, may have offered me the role?” Chris glanced sheepishly at her.

“THEY WHAT?” Lucy shrieked and immediately covered her mouth. Chris pulled them into an empty alcove to get away from prying eyes. “I’m sorry for yelling but _what_?”

“They offered me the role. Twice. The second time they even threw veto power on whom would’ve play Anastacia.” He shook his head. “It was a hard pass from me. The sex scenes in the book were passable, but the plot felt iffy, very constricted and oversimplified.”

“You’re the first guy I know who actually have an opinion about the plot and do not dismiss it as being mommy porn.” Lucy praised him.

“I make a point of having an informed opinion and not rehash what others think.” Chris nodded. “If that means I have to read a book about _kinky fuckery_ , hey, let’s do it!”

Lucy threw her head back with a laugh and they resumed their walk, discussing their favorite books and authors and soon it became very clear they did not share the same interests. Chris tended towards non-fiction, biographies, science and spirituality books while Lucy rarely picked up something that wasn’t about fantasy, especially vampires and wizards. They did agree on Harry Potter and A Brief History Of Time, so they called it a win anyway.

They circled back to the blue wing where the Butterfly Garden was located when a voice over the intercom announced that everyone with tickets for the five pm showing was now welcomed to enter the Garden, and they quickly made their way there.

They started the tour on the opposite side of the entrance, walking around a path brimming with the colorful wings of the kaleidoscope who lived there. Lucy took pictures of her favorites and marveled at how nature worked, turning into what most would consider an ugly nuisance into such an exquisite animal.

The thick, lush foliage extended all the way to the glass ceiling, the various shades of green a great contrast against the gray skies above. Each section of the garden filled with different types of flowers and plants to attract the butterflies, it was a cacophony of plants from all over the world, turning the area into something quite magical in Lucy’s eyes.

Chris stopped here and there to discuss whatever butterfly they could see, Chris pointing what he remembered of his previous visit and telling Lucy anecdotes of his time there with his family.

“Then he convinced Shanna to lick the picture! So she goes up, takes the mounted frame from the wall and low and behold, licked the fucking leaf!” Chris remembered laughing. “Of course, the moment she lifted the frame a silent alarm must’ve sounded somewhere, and two guards appeared out of thin air… and that’s how the Evans Family got banned from the MOS for six months.”

Lucy wheezed as she laughed, trying to control her breathing. “Poor Shanna! You and your brother were not kind with your sisters uh?”

“We’re vicious sometimes.” He agreed. “But we’re also very protective, I got in trouble once because I bit a guy for pushing Carly off the swing set. Granted I was six at the time, but man, I drew blood and everything! Dad had to pay for his hospital visit and I lost dessert rights for a month.”

He pouted, making Lucy giggle.

“Your family sounds amazing Chris! Are you guys doing something special for Christmas?”

“Mom’s hosting a huge party this year, so the whole family will be there. Lots of Evans and Capuanos, plenty of food and booze, games, I live for those parties, they are my favorite, so much love going on. Big breakfast in the morning, let them go crazy opening presents, then we take the kids sledding or to ice skate on a pond nearby and then we all gather to the party. How about you?”

“That sounds lovely. It’s just the immediate family this Christmas for us. Mamma insists on having all her kids there at least every other year, it’s a deal she makes with all in-laws when they become family.” She paused. Lucy was the only one who had never taken a boyfriend to one of their gatherings. She had mastered the art of ignoring the looks of pity her family sent her way every time she arrived alone, dodging questions about her failed love life now second nature. “We don’t have many relatives in America, mamma being Italian and Dad from Scotland, so we kinda created our own family traditions; we decorate cookies on the 24th, mamma chooses the Yule log, and we sit around talking about our year while listening to the Beatles and drinking wine. Then on Christmas Day we go ice skating, hold the ‘Annual Seabrook Snowman Challenge’, which I suck at by the way, and consume way too much wine and crostoli.”

“I love crostoli, my mom never got the recipe right from her grandma so hers it’s not so great… But I’ll deny it to my grave if you ever tell her I said that.” He tapped the end of her nose, making her giggle. “It’s been such a long time since I had them though.”

“Mom makes a ton of them to give the neighbors as gifts, I’ll save you some and send them back with Penny.”

“That’d be awesome, thank you.” He ran a hand through her hair and brought her closer, intending to kiss her. His lips almost touch her when a group of kids no older than six-year-old breezes by them, screaming _ewwww_ and making kissing noises. “I guess you got cooties.”

They giggle and separate, but he clasps her hand while they toured the winding paths.

Walking further into the garden they got to a small section where hundreds of white or blue butterflies floated over the flowers, enjoying a rare ray of sun that filtered from the glass ceiling above. Chris took his phone out from his front pocket and handed it over to Lucy before embracing her, arms closing around her front and pulling her closer, her back molded to his front. She shivered at the full body contact and had trouble opening the camera app. Searching for the best angle, she took a couple of pictures of them surrounded by the clouds of wings, including one where a blue butterfly sat on Chris’ shoulders and Lucy had a surprised look on her face, which quickly become their favorite.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the museum will close in ten minutes.”

The voice over the intercom made them both jump, and Chris looked at the clock.

“Wow, it’s almost six already?” He looked surprised.

“Are you serious?” Lucy couldn’t believe how fast the day had gone by.

Yesterday had been amazing, all the teasing leading to a frenzied and amazing night of sex but if she had to choose her favorite time with Chris had been today. There were no awkward moments, not long silences where they didn’t know what to say to each other. As much as she was pressed not call it a date at the beginning, there was no denying today had been exactly that. And she loved every second of it.

Now came the hard part, letting go of Chris and going back to her own life.

“At least it’s not snowing yet, roads should be clear.” He talked absently. Chris scratched his beard appearing to miles away from the museum already and Lucy tried not to let it bother her.

The escalator had a line and the elevator was for seniors, pregnant women and people in need of assistance, so they took the stairs, keeping closer to the wall as to not draw much attention.

He picked up her left hand, drawing patterns on her palm before twisting their fingers together while they descended the stairs to get to the garage. Lucy noticed how touch drove he had been the entire day, always reaching out to her, holding her hand while they walked, circling her waist while they waited in line for tickets. It occurred to her he would distance himself from her while they were in public and she understood why he would do it but in a deeper level, she was elated when he didn’t. She thought back to that morning’s conversation; _I won’t shy away from someone I care about’,_ and her heart skipped a beat. Could he care about her in a more permanent way than a one-night stand? She shook her head. No, that wasn’t possible, right?

 _Then how you would explain your own feelings_? Her heart had terrible timing, as always. Okay, so maybe today had been better than good. _I was a fucking great day okay, could you at least own up to that?_ And Lucy couldn’t argue because it really had been that.

At least she’d had the memories of their time together, the last thirty hours had been incredible, and she knew a smile would always accompany those memories, no matter what happened from now on.

They got to the garage after a few minutes, people shuffling around them to get to their cars as quickly as possible. They walked fast, not bothering with their coats, just wanting to get inside his car. Lucy was really looking forward to sliding against the heated leather seats.

“Fuck, it’s cold!” Chris exclaimed pulling her along. His wide stride made her almost run after him, air leaving her mouth in smalls white clouds as she breathed out. He hit his key fob a few meters before they reached the car and engine came to life with a hum. He opened the door for her, and she placed a sweet kiss on his cheek before getting inside. Chris quickly went around to the driver’s seat and moaned when the heated air hit his skin. “Oh, much better.”

“Do you think Audi would sell me just one of these seats? The heating at the studios sucks, I’d love to have one of these for my office!” She wriggled happily in her seat.

“Or you could buy a proper office chair that does the same thing?” He pointed at her when he got behind the wheel. Soft jazz music filled the air around them when he turned the key, the melodic sound swirling around them.

“Uhm I could, but then I couldn’t tell people how I convinced fucking Audi to make me a custom chair. Now that’s a story.” She chuckled and turned on her seat, facing him.

“So buy a chair, slap an Audi sticker to the back of it and tell the story anyway, how ‘bout that?”

“Uhm… There’s an idea.”

He laughed. “Why are we discussing this particular one anyway?”

“’ Cuz there’s like a hundred cars trying to leave at the same time and we’re stalling?”

“Such a smart girl.” Chris reached over the console and picked up her hand, playing with her rings. “Are you hungry?”

“Not really.”

He nodded and concentrated on the traffic inside the garage, managing to get out and merge into the exit lane, all with one hand, the other still holding hers.

Why in the world did she say she wasn’t hungry when he asked? She wasn’t, that was true, but they could have gone somewhere to just talk, she could have a few more moments with him and now she blew it. _God, she was stupid_. She thumped her head in the back seat, cursing herself. Was it too late to say something, _hey, changed my mind, let’s go grab a pizza or something_.

She kept her body turned to him as he drove, a leg bent on the seat, studying his profile, the little bump on his nose, the mole on his left cheek, how his beard was not dark blond but auburn like Penny’s hair. She wanted to commit it all to memory so she could relive it once she got back home. Maybe daydream about not being a fucking coward and ask him to take her back to his place instead of back to Garrets.

They drove in silence for the next ten minutes, the only sounds inside the car coming from the speakers. He pulled to the curb of Garret’s house and Chris killed the engine, turning to Lucy. She felt the intensity of his gaze while she studied his face, waiting for his final words. This was it. He would thank her for a good time, say she was a nice girl and send her away.

Was it even possible to have feelings for someone you’d met in person just the day before? Maybe it was just some leftover infatuation from the night before? Sure, she had heard of him from Garret and Penny, they were practically his personal cheerleader squad, but meeting Chris had been a whole different experience. She couldn’t remember the last time she’s had so much fun with a man. It wasn’t just the sex, which by the way had blown her mind after twenty plus months of celibacy, but how he’d made her feel like the most important person in the world when he talked to her, how he listened with his whole body, really paying attention to what she was talking about. How he laughed at her jokes, cracking up with that adorable and dorkable laugh of his. He had cut through her walls and her fears with his witty banter and a charming personality and she had been impotent to resist him. She liked everything about him. She was falling for the guy.

No.

She had already fallen.

The realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

 _Stupid, silly girl. Why on earth would someone like him ever want more than a one-time thing with the likes of her_?

She screamed at that poisonous voice to shut up, she didn’t want to hear it today. She concentrated on the affirmations Doctor Clark had given her.

She was worth it; she was not perfect but every being deserved love.

She was happy with her body; maybe she wasn’t a size four or even a six, but she was stylish, some days she would be so bold as to call herself sexy.

She was a good person; a loving friend, a kind person, a passionate lover,

She was deserving of love.

She closed her eyes, exhaling slowly, willing away all bad thoughts, breathing in and out, centering herself.

Maybe not his love, but he had awakened something inside her, if Captain America himself thought she was worthy of his time, that voice surely must be wrong.

“Lucy?”

She opened her eyes and leaned forward, resting her hand on his knee.

“Thank you for an amazing time, Chris. I haven’t had this much fun in quite a few years.”

She kissed his cheek, lingering just one second more. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she moved to open the door.

“What, no, Lucy wait.” He hit the lock button, breathing rapidly. “Just wait, give a man a moment to breathe, will ya’?”

“Chris?” She tilted her head, watching as he took deep breathes, counting on his fingers while murmuring what looked like affirmations, much the same she did earlier.

“Sorry, I had to run a few scenarios in my head. A trick my therapist taught me for when I get anxious.” He explained, tangling the fingers of one of their hands and pulling her to him, kissing her square in the mouth. “None of that cheek kissing thing alright?” he pleaded when he released her.

“Alright?” she had no idea what to answer so she nodded instead.

“Good, good. We had a great day together, didn’t we?” his free hand reached for a stray lock of her hair, twirling it between his fingers.

 “I believe I thanked you for it already.” She looked nonplussed at him.

“That you did baby.” He kissed her again, this time biting her lower lip. “What if this wasn’t the end of that time?”

“Chris?”

“What if instead of dropping you here, you get out, get your bags and go home with me?” his clears eyes shone with hope and he licked his lips, waiting.

“You know we leave after lunch, right, I told you that.” Her heart was speeding up and she was sure he could feel her hands getting clammy. _Was he really asking her to spend the night again?_

“That would give us more,” he checked his watch, “eighteen more hours together.”

“Are you sure Chris? I’m okay with this being the end of our little rendezvous, I really liked the day we had.” She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth.

His smile vanished.

“Oh, unless you don’t want to, I can understand that.” He chewed on his lip, defeated.

“Unlock the door, Chris.”

“Okay.” He hit the button and bowed his head. “Can I… can I kiss you goodnight?”

“Yes, you can kiss me goodnight.” She opened the door but didn’t move, waiting for him to look up. “You can kiss me goodnight after I have my wicked way with you after we get back to your place.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes! I was beating myself up for not saying yes when you asked if I was hungry.”

His face broke up in a huge grin.

“We can eat, then go back home.”

“I just want to spend more time with you, I don’t care what we do.”

His lips were cold when she kissed him, the outside air rapidly entering the car, but neither cared, too lost in each other to bother closing the door.

“I’ll go grab my bags.” She said when they separated.

“Hurry up woman, we have just nineteen hours and fifty-five minutes left.”

She threw her head back and laughed, getting out of the car and running up the stairs.

“Hey Lucy?” he yelled from the lowered window. She turned to him, after knocking on Garret’s door. “I hope you don’t have plans to sleep tonight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed reading this one!
> 
> See you next time.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, don't be alarmed by the title change! I've been thinking about it since the first chapter, and I finally decided to bite the bullet and do it! It sounds more fluid and it fits better overall I think. 
> 
> I have a beta now! The amazing effervescentyouth is helping me and GUYS! She's amazing, give props to the girl, she deserves it! Thank you SO much, Jenny, it's a been only one chapter but I appreciate everything!
> 
>  
> 
> While I don't promise this will be the last long ass chapter I write, I promise to try and write smaller ones in between.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it and as always, constructive feedback is very much welcomed and please, drop me a line, just to say you're loving or even hating the story! Seriously, every comment makes me feel so good!

Chris woke around 8 am, alone in bed and for a moment he panicked, thinking Lucy never actually came home with him last night. A look around the room revealed her suitcase and a large soft luggage bag neatly stacked near his closet, her purse on the nearby chair. The pillow he was hugging still smelled like her shampoo and he smiled at the memory of them showering together and how he had insisted on washing her hair, his hands working the long strands into different hairstyles while she laughed at his portray of a flamboyant hairdresser.

They’d arrived home around 8 pm after Garret read him the riot act while Lucy gathered her stuff. _He’d better not fuck this up, was he sure he wanted to pursue this? Otherwise he better end their date right there._

 _Date_. Chris scoffed at the word. He was sure Lucy still didn’t know the meeting at the game was a set-up arranged by her sister and his best friend; a blind date where only one of them knew they were on a date at all. Penny insisted Lucy wouldn’t come if she were to tell her and it was up to Chris to make the move.

Ever since he wrapped _Gifted_ and came back home complaining he had had enough of the Hollywood dating scene, Penny redoubled her efforts to get Chris and Lucy together. _“She’s the sweetest girl, Chris, always there with a smile when I was hurt. She was the first to organize a fundraising and collecting food and clothes after the Mitchell’s house fire. She’s got the biggest heart of anyone I know and they abused her trust. She’s been hurt pretty and she’s afraid of trying again. I believe you can change that.”_ Penny said over pizza one day. Chris had his doubts, not sure if he was ready to deal with so much baggage. _“Would you date her?”_ Chris asked Garret over beers, _“She’s fragile man but she’s a special girl. Hell yes, I’d date her. She’s wicked smart, sassy as hell and can make you laugh like a lunatic plus, she’s built like a fifties pin-up girl, all tits, ass, and thighs. You keep saying you want something real, here’s your chance at it.”_

So Chris agreed to the date, picking a football game for their first meeting, a common ground where both could still enjoy themselves if the chemistry wasn’t there. Except they hit it off so good that any plans of taking her out for dinner so they could get to know each flew out of the window and now he was working backward to convince her she was more than a one-night stand.

The moment he left the bedroom Chris could hear Lucy singing downstairs. She wasn’t going to win any Grammys but she wasn’t bad either. He made his way downstairs carefully as to not alert her of his presence.

He stopped just before reaching the bottom, watching as Lucy belted the lyrics to an old pop song into a wooden spoon, moving around the kitchen with her eyes closed during the chorus. He watched as she opened and closed his cabinets, a quiet _yay_ reaching his ears when she found a glass bowl, bringing the bowl with her back to the counter where eggs, cheese, sliced potatoes, and condiments all waited. _And since when did he own a cast iron pan?_

Lucy sang and danced while she mixed the ingredients, pouring them into the hot pan, her oversized nightshirt hanging loosely on her shoulders, purplish marks dotting her neck. He’d never been one to leave them before but with her he was a man possessed, staking a claim so everyone could see she belonged with him. A twinge of jealousy hit him at the thought of a man getting closer enough to look at her neck.

Chris knew it was probably too early to feel that way but he wasn’t concerned with a timetable any more. He’d been infatuated with the idea of her for the past month and the reality turned out to be so much better. Their time at the museum yesterday had been fantastic, no awkward silences, no lulls in the conversation. He hanged into her every word, committing to memory every like and dislike she shared, wanting to know everything about the firecracker redhead who danced her way into his life.

He leaned against the fridge, crossing his arms.

“Is there a cover fee for the show or is it included with breakfast?”

“That depends, what kind of payment are we talking about?” Lucy smiled brightly at him, rinsing her hands.

“I can think of a few ways. I’m also known for being a very generous tipper.”

Chris walked over to her, picking up a napkin and drying each individual finger before bringing her hands over his neck, leaning down to gently kiss her.

“Top o' the mornin' to ya, little lady.” He smiled at her when their lips separated, tipping an imaginary hat at her.

“Mornin’ sir,” she giggled and did a little curtsy. “Give it 25 minutes and you’ll eat the best Spanish omelet of your life.”

“I’m starving so it better be good.” Chris challenged, letting go of her to fill Dodger’s food and water bowl.

“Of your life.” She pointed the wood spoon at his retrieving back.

“That’s a very tall order little lady, I’ve been alive for quite some time.”

“Except that, I’m older than you.” She reminded Chris while she brought the coffee pot and the juice jar to the small breakfast table by the window.

“You know what that makes you, right?” He called back to her, already on his way back from the laundry room.

“What?” She moved back to the counter, checking on the food on the stovetop, turning it off and moving the pan to the oven.

“A cougar.” He said was behind her, hands circling her waist and bringing her body close to his, his lips closing on the pulse point on her neck and effectively ending the protest on her lips. “A very fine,” kiss, “gorgeous,” bite, “beautiful cougar.”

He sucked the tender skin where her neck met her shoulder, leaving yet another mark.

“Keep that up and I’ll need a scarf inside the house when I get to my parent’s,” she made no movement to stop him, hands resting over his.

“You have a very biteable neck.” Chris kissed the same spot again just to prove a point and she giggled. “I’ll try to curb my inner vampire.”

“Your inner vampire is quite welcome to other places where I can better hide the evidence.” Lucy looked back up to him, a hint of mischievousness in her voice.

His hands immediately moved to cup her breasts over her shirt. “Oh, you mean here?”

“Uhm… or here.” Lucy’s hand gently guided him to the inside of her thighs.

“Your idea is so much better than mine.” Chris turned her around and his mouth immediately found hers in a powerful and possessive kiss.

He was rapidly becoming addicted to her mouth, her lips moving like fine silk on his, tongue searching for him, a delirious chase he couldn’t get enough of. He heard her moan against his mouth and it stoked the fire already burning inside of him.

Chris’ strong hands clutched Lucy’s waist, bringing her closer to his body and in a swift movement he lifted and dropped her at the counter, her body bouncing when she landed.

“Are you crazy, you could throw your back or someth…”

His lips quickly silenced her words and he nipped at her for good measure when they separated.

“I can bench press over 300 pounds Lucy, and you weigh what, a bit more than half that? Let me worry about what I can and I can’t handle,” his hands slid up her thighs till he finds the white lace cheeky panties she wore, thumbs hooking around the lace and pulling them down as he whispered in her ear. “I love how my hands are full of you when I run them up your thighs, when I grab your ass, how your breasts feel heavy on my hands… and just so you know I’d love to fuck them.”

A strangled moan escaped her at his words and she reached for his sweatpants, pushing them down, needing the contact, craving the feel of him. He rocked his hips on her, the head of his cock right on top of her clit, his bare length sliding up and down over her small lips, coating himself in her juices. “I want you inside me, Chris.”

“Shhh, I’m not finished. Trivia time. Did you know I had a crush on Jessica Rabbit the first time I saw _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_?” Chris unbuttons her shirt, bottom to top, slowly unwrapping her like a present, thrusting against her with each new inch of skin he reveals, her moans spurring him on. “To my twelve-year-old self, she was the hottest woman I’d ever seen, who cares if she was a cartoon. It was the first time I actively jerked off.” He parted the sides of her nightgown, exposing her breast and he licks his lips at the sight of her naked chest. His hands tangle in her hair bringing the red strands around her left shoulder. Her eyes are blown, pupils dilated, almost no green left and he thinks she looked like a fucking goddess at that moment. He stood between her legs, his nose skimming the pulse point on her neck, lips following suit, before stepping back, making her pout for the lack of contact. “God, look at you, my personal Jessica Rabbit, pouty lips and all, my fucking wet dream coming true, sinful curves and deliciously naked.”

“Then come here and fuck your Rabbit,” she pulled him back, mouths clashing, tongues dancing together. Her hands roamed over the taut muscles of his arms, tracing the veins and kneading the flesh of his shoulders, fingertips caressing the nape of his neck with one hand while the other danced on the planes of his chest, following the trail of hair that led to his cock.

Lucy planted open-mouthed kisses on his chest, gently biting his right nipple, sucking the small hard nub in her mouth, enthralled by the sounds he made.

“Fuck, do that again,” Chris asked in a low voice and she smiled against his chest, moving to the other side. She flattened her tongue against his nipple before closing her mouth against it, teeth rasping the pebbled skin and sucking hard and at the same time that she closed her hand over him, dragging her fingers over the crown in slow but precise motions. A guttural moan rocked his body and he thrust hard against her hand, pre-come leaking from the bulbous head.

“How did you like it?” Lucy grinned up to him, hand fisting over his shaft as she licked around the tattoo on his ribcage.

“That… god, don’t tease,” he faltered when her fingers squeezed around him, both hands working in a precise rhythm. “That’s definitely going into the pro column.”

Her laugh is cut short when he pulls her hair back, covering her mouth with his. Their kisses became long and slow, fueled by their moans, tongues sinfully dancing together as hands travel everywhere; caressing her boobs, touching his ass, tangled in her hair, gripping his waist.

“Lay back on your arms.” Chris nudges her back with a soft touch and she obeys, releasing his shaft and arranging herself on the black marble. Fingers and mouth working together, he traces a pattern over her body, stroking over her collarbone, rolling her nipples between expert fingers, dipping his tongue on her belly button. He nips at the small curve of her belly, biting and bruising the skin and smirks at her. “No one will see this one, right?”

“Considering it’s not exactly swimming weather outside, I don’t think so,” she smiled and shook her head.

“Good,” he rubbed his bearded face on her inner thighs. “I’m not finished though.”

Warm open-mouthed kisses on the inside of her thighs left her panting and pleading for more.

“Use your words, Lucy.” His warm breath tickled her lips, making her squirm.

“Don’t tease me like that.” Wild eyes glanced down, “I want your mouth on me. Now.”

“Yes, madam.” The feel of his silky tongue made her whole body undulate, a loud gasp echoing in the large room as he bathed her in slow and sure motions. He gave her a wicked grin before his lips closed on her clit, tongue swirling on the taut nerve and her hips lifted, legs jumping wildly. He hooked her left leg over his shoulder for anchorage, grasping the curve of her hips to keep her from moving and her small hand covered his, fingers tangling together. Chris smiled, eyes framed by long eyelashes looking up to her, loving to watch her surrender under his touch. He was lost to the scent of her, the sweet and tangy aroma filling his lungs.

“Chris.” A gasp escaped her swollen lips, eyes fluttering close with each pass of his tongue, shallow breaths, and a racing heart.

“God, you’re beautiful,” His mouth barely leaves her to whisper his adoration. “Are you ready for more baby?”

Two fingers sank into her, scissoring and curling against her walls. He devoured her, lips and tongue working her clit, fingers hooked inside her, rubbing that sweet spot inside her over and over. Her hips thrust wildly upward, incomprehensible cries falling from her lips when he sped up his motions, humming his praise, the vibrations on causing the most delicious electric sparks making her legs writhe and sending her dangerously close to the edge.

Her body grew taut, goosebumps spreading all over and he felt her clenching his fingers, fingernails leaving small crescent shapes on the back of his hand before releasing his hand and threading them around his hair, keeping him where she needed the most.

“So close, oh god, I need… close.”

His teeth scraped her clit and it’s her undoing. Lucy cried out to him, tremors rocking her, legs quivering as he continued to touch her, transforming her orgasm in an ongoing sensation that washed over her back and forth every time his tongues her clit, fingers still moving inside her now with a renewed fervor.

“Give one more baby, I know you have it in you.” Another pair of fingers made contact with her clit, rubbing it in a maddening pace as he kisses her inner thighs, bruising the skin with his teeth. He slipped his fingers from inside her pussy, digits coated in her cum, and moved them lower, pressing them lightly against her puckered hole, making contact hard enough to let her know he’s there. His tongue enters her, lapping up the escaping slick as his index fingers breached the impossibly tight hole.

“Chris, oh god, oh f…” a second wave hit her and her arm gave out, spasm taking over her body and her eyes rolled to the back of her head, the fire never ending, the darkness threatening to take over.

She pushed him away, her body spent as she laid on the counter, breathing heavily.

“Fuck, you look gorgeous when you cum,” Chris' eyes were zeroed on hers with a smug smile on his face, fingers slowly caressing the skin of her hips. “Are you alright?”

“Give me a moment, I’m not sure I’m alive,” Lucy closed her eyes, drawing a deep breath, the sound of his laugh making her smile. “Yep, I’m alive.”

Chris pulled her up and her hands immediately gravitated to his face, bringing him close, kissing his shiny lips, thumbing the moisture on his mustache and bringing it to her mouth, her tongue making a show of licking the digit clean, groaning at the taste of herself on him. He moaned and rocked himself against her core, callused hands curling on the skin of her bottom.

“You know,” Lucy nuzzled his neck, kissing the smooth skin, her nose pressed on his beard, “I’ve never let anyone back there before.”

“Never?” the whimper is followed by a grunt when she shook her head. “Whenever you’re ready, let me know, I can make you feel so, so good baby.”

“How about I think about it and I get back to you on that.”

There’s a pause before he agreed and dove for her mouth, tongues dueling in a heated kiss, hissing when her hands closed around him, sliding up and down the length with torturous gestures.

“I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you,” her hands stroked and twisted, creating the perfect amount of pressure that forced him to thrust back searching for more friction. Lucy nibbled his earlobe and murmured, “Get inside me Chris, now.”

It’s a command he’s eager to obey and he brings her closer to the edge of the counter, dragging his cock up her slit, making them both moan.

And then he stopped, looking around for a moment, groaning.

“Shit.”

His low curse made her head pop. “What?”

“I didn’t bring any condoms down with me.”

“Why not?” The disbelief in her voice made him chuckle.

More expletives left his mouth as he opened a few drawers before finally admitting defeat with a shake of his head.

“Well little rabbit, for starters my pants didn’t have any pockets. Plus, I didn’t exactly plan on fucking you on my counter.”

“It’s so sturdy though, it just begs for some action.” She bounces a little, grinning at him.

Chris threw his head back with a laugh, raising both eyebrows at her.

“You’re using me for my kitchen, aren’t you?”

“Damn, I’ve been found,” she snapped her fingers with a mocking frown.

“Come on woman, let’s go upstairs before…”

The oven pinged, signaling the food was ready.

“That.” Chris dropped his head on her shoulder while Lucy tried to contain her mirth, certain he would not appreciate her laughing right now.

“You know,” Lucy glanced from the oven back to him, fingers dancing between the hairs of his chest. “I’m alright with re-heated food if you are.”

“Oh, thank fuck.” He promptly hoisted her out of the counter, pausing just long enough to pick up his pants from the floor, just to look up and see her running up the stairs.

Lucy stopped on the middle step, shedding her shirt, calling out to him with her fingers. She squeaked and ran when Chris started after her, taking the steps two at a time, catching up to her right by his bedroom door, caging her body with his.

“Gotcha.” Her whole skin prickled with his whisper and she couldn’t help the moan that escaped when he bit her earlobe, tugging on the flesh. The feel of him rocking against her as he kissed the back of her neck reduced her to a quivering mess as he opened the door, directing her to the recently made bed.

Spinning in his arms, she kissed him hard, forcing his body toward the bed. “Lay down, keep your hands above your head.”

“Bossy, bossy,” Chris kissed her before laying down, making a show of shaking his ass at her, which earned him a playful swat. “Careful with the merchandise woman.”

Lucy giggle-snorted, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, I’ll handle all the packages with care.”

“See that you do.” He winked and got comfortable, holding onto the pillow under his head, licking his lips when she crawled over him, kneeling between his legs.

Her lips brushed over his brow, nose, and cheeks before touching his mouth, a pink tongue tracing his pouty lips. They kissed with their eyes open, Chris trying to follow her every time she retreated, only to kiss him again when his head hit the pillow with a growl.

“Don’t be mean. I love kissing you.”

Her eyes crinkled, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. The next time she didn’t pull back, her tongue tangling with his, lips synced in a slow and sensuous dance, making his body buckle when she sucked his tongue, knuckles white from clutching the pillow.

She teased his neck, caressing the pulse point with her tongue, working her way down his body and Chris felt like fire wafted over his skin with each touch. Stopping over his dusky nipples, she replayed the earlier actions, this time with more teeth and Chris decided the move deserved a whole new column titled ‘fucking brilliant’.  

The hard muscles of his abdomen twitched when her teeth made contact, and she soothed him with butterfly kisses over the tattoo on his lower rib cage. The first dip of her tongue into his belly button bucked his hips, the anticipation consuming him as she licked over the thick line of hair connecting to the base of his cock, her nose nuzzling the velvet skin that rested over his lower abdomen.

“Lucy…”

“Patience Chris.”

He didn’t have to wait long, a hitched breath meeting the first touch of her tongue on the underside of his erection. She tempted him with one long lick before enveloping the head with her lips, tonguing the slit and tasting the drops of his salty pre-come already there.

An ache formed deep in his belly when her hands closed around him, pumping up and down the thick member, a thumb pressing the vein on the underside with every downward stroke. She cupped his balls as her mouth descended on him, sucking him slowly into her mouth, working her way down.

Chris wanted so badly to touch her, to run his hands everywhere while she claimed him, but he was good with following orders. “God, you’re killing me, Lucy, such a pretty and talented mouth you have, fuck, so good around my cock.” He heard and felt her moaning around him, the humming adding to his pleasure, and when she hollowed her cheeks and took him all the way he cursed loudly, body shaking. “Please, please let me touch you gorgeous.”

She let him go with a pop, swirling her tongue around the weeping head, flattening her tongue and dragging over his frenulum, wanton eyes, dark and needy, never leaving him when she nodded and took him back into her mouth, her lips sinking until he could feel the back of her throat, grunting and fighting the urge to thrust up. He ran his hands over her shoulders, gentle fingers cupping her cheek while she engulfed him, her nose pressed to the trimmed hairs of his groin.

His labored breaths were cut by deep moans, pleasure cursing through this body.

“I’m not gonna last, baby.”

His hands now played with her hair, gathering it to a side, holding it atop of her head and finally settling with tangling it all in a ponytail so he could watch what her as she worked to bring him to climax. The need to thrust became unbearable, a scorching heat consuming and overwhelming his senses.

“Let it go, Chris,” she enticed him and he surrendered, plunging against her mouth, marveling at the feeling of her silky tongue working over him when he retreated.

Sheer pleasure consumed him, the ache in his belly spreading all over him and he barely had time to warm her of his impending climax. Lucy paid him no mind, lips tight around his cock while two fingers pressed down on the perineum and he lost it, swelling and coating the inside of her mouth, hands tight on her hair to keep her from moving.

She swallowed and he groaned loudly, curses and moans mixed together while he sang her praises, calling her name over and over. Chris twitched when Lucy licked him clean, letting him go with a final pat to the head of his cock. A smile played on her lips as she gave him a small kiss at the corner of his lips before resting her head on the nook of his neck.

Chris was quiet for a moment before he let out a whistle.

“Damn.”

Her body shook with contained laughter.

“That good, huh?” Lucy drew small patterns on his chest and he rejoiced in the feeling of being so close to her.

“Fuck yes.” He slowly kissed her, his tongue exploring the swollen lips. A small peck to her nose and he released her.

A blissful silence fell over them, his hands combing the long locks as she did the same to his beard. They stayed like that for some time, until Chris spoke again.

“Do you have the number for The New York Times?” He asked with a serious expression.

“What would you need it for?” Lucy side-eyed Chris.

“I want to take out an ad and tell all those fools in New York City how incredibly stupid they are for passing you over. Or I might do a full-page “thank you” for the exact same reason, I’m still undecided.” He twisted them both till she was laying on top of him, taking the opportunity to run his hands over her ribcage, waist and finally resting both hands on her bottom, holding them loosely over her flesh.

“All of this over a good blowjob?” She chuckled and adjusted herself so her pussy hovered over his hardening cock.

He shook his head and poked her on the side.

“Excuse me, but being on the receiving end of said blowjob I think you meant fantastic. Curl your toes and scream yourself hoarse fantastic,” he is delighted when a blush covered not only the face but her breasts as well. He licked his lips and bucked against her, “Yeah, I’m definitely thanking them.”

“Your recovering time is quite a feat, Chris.” Her hips rocked slowly against him and Lucy left a small sigh when her clit rubbed on the veiny member.

He tightened his hold on her buttocks as she danced wantonly over him, dragging herself across the hard member.

“I am… Captain America after all.” A shallow moan followed another thrust and he grabbed the condom next to the pillow, ripping the package and handing it to her.

“Isn’t the poor the guy a virgin though? Did the whole beefcake flavored popsicle thing before he could get the girl?” Lucy scooted back just enough to free him from under her, spreading the wetness she left on his throbbing cock before rolling the latex down.

He bent her down by her shoulders, bracing one arm around her waist while the other holds her close, hands gripping her neck.

“I’m gonna pretend you just didn’t call Cap a _virgin_ _beefcake flavored popsicle_ , alright?” He preened when she giggled and it occurred to him how much time had passed since sex was this poignant and so carefree at the same time. Lucy brought a whole new game to the table; sexy, fun, extremely hot and addictive, just like her.

He ran his nose on the thick vein there, kissing up to her ear, nibbling on the flesh. “Can I fuck you now little rabbit?”

God how he loved how he could make her body flush and shiver with just a few words. Chris' lips covered hers in a scorching kiss, tongues clashing before Lucy righted her body and positioned herself over him.

“I believe,” she hissed as Chris pinched her nipples, “I believe I’m the one doing the fucking now.”

Hungry eyes met as she eased down on him, never breaking eye contact till she is flushed on his lap, throwing her head back with a lustful moan.

“God Chris, I’m so full of you.” She stilled for a moment, getting used to the sensation.

“You’re so tight baby, I can feel every bit of your pussy hugging me.” He moaned breathily when she squeezed him, hands flying to her thighs and rear. “You gonna wreck me just by doing that and then you won’t get to cum.”

“We can’t have that now, can we?” Lucy rolled her hips in a slow movement, keeping most of his cock inside her as she rocked side to side, smiling provocatively at the groans coming from Chris.

Hands sprawled over his large chest as leverage, Lucy impressed a hard pace, pulling all the way up and slamming back down with slow circles that had her eyes rolling to the back of her head, the head of Chris’ cock hitting her g-spot with every downward movement.

Holding the soft flesh on the back of her thighs, Chris met her thrusts with his own, grinding her down on his pelvis. He shifted so his feet were flat against the mattress, starting a pattern of quick and shallow thrusts that made Lucy drop her head to her heaving chest, her hair falling around them like a curtain as her hands clang to his shoulders, fingernails digging into the muscles, moaning and sobbing.

Walls clenching around him, he could sense that she was close, her mouth forming a delicate o shape, eyes closed in ecstasy. Every nerve ending is alive and bursting with energy, all connected to the spot where his cock entered her and she gasped, air heavily leaving her lungs when waves of pleasure crashed into her, chants of his name is like a song to his ears.

“God, Chris!” She screamed his name, dropping to kiss him, her tongue sweeping over his. “Fuck, you make me feel so good.”

Drawing circles up here sides, he held her closer, fingers flexing in her waist.

“Rabbit, we’re barely getting started. On your back.” Chris grunted as he lifted her, her juices making his cock glisten. “Fuck, look at that…”

He touched her slick clit when she settled on her back, making her shudder, aftershocks rocking her body with a strangled moan.

“Fucking gorgeous. Your body was made for me, to love it, to worship it. I’m gonna fuck you so good baby.” He got on his knees, bringing her hips level with his, propping her ass up with a discarded pillow.

“Chris, please. I need you.”

The air is charged with the faint aroma of sex as Chris hovers over her. The caveman inside his brain growled with the need to possess her, make her theirs.

“You need my cock? You need me to pound you and make you forget your own name?” His voice is hoarse with lust, eyes blown. He brought her legs up, resting her feet on his shoulders, his member nested on her folds.  “I can do that rabbit, I’ll fuck you raw, ruin you for anyone else but me. Do you want that?”

He rocks against her, the crown of his shaft sliding over her clit and she keens, a high-pitched sound that snaps something inside him. He enters her roughly, bottoming out on the first thrust, establishing a hard pace. His moans echo around the room when he sees her holding her breasts, pinching her erect nipples.

“I want that, yes, I want you. Fuck me, Chris, yes, yes.” Wanton eyes look over at him and he almost lost it, driving into her with and making the headboard hit the wall in a staccato of thrusts.

One of her legs fell to the side when he let it go and it curled around his knees, keeping his vision unobstructed. Watching his cock disappear inside her is a glorious sight and Chris can barely tear his eyes away to look up, but he was glad he did. Lucy had her arms above her, head thrown to the side, eyes closed and her teeth are dug so hard into her lips he swore she would draw blood at any moment. Her labored breath and moans follow the rhythm of his hips and once in a while she would let a loud wail when he hit that perfect spot inside her.

The goosebumps are back, his brows furrowed and he had to fight to keep his eyes open, the pleasure coursing through him is too much.

“Eyes on me Lucy.” Chris told her in a slow growl and smiled when dark green orbs focus on him. “You’re the most beautiful thing in the world. I can feel you’re close baby, cum for me.”

A thumb is pressed to her clit, rubbing small circles on the hardened nub, propelling her to the end. Lucy gripped the sheets, back bowing from the mattress, calling for him as her body convulsed.

His own release is there, his powerful thighs clenching as his hips still, her name on his lips, a powerful climax washing over him.

Breathing heavily, Chris laid down on top of her, holding himself up in his forearms, searching her face only to find her smiling at him, a lazy grin that made his heart flutter.

“That was…” slender fingers pushed the sweaty hair out of his forehead and Lucy kissed his cheek, lips lingered on the scruff.

“Intense? Incredible? Impeccable? Impressive? Illegal?” Chris would have continued but her clasped hand in front of his mouth stopped him.

“Illegal?” Lucy laughed.

He licked her palm and she yelped, removing it quickly and giving him a dirty look. He grinned.

“I’m sure it is somewhere, you were pretty loud after all.”

He rolled over from her, leaving the bed to deal with the condom.

“And whose fault is that _Mister Dirty Talk Extraordinaire_?” She called after him.

“You think I’m gonna feel guilty about making you scream my name?” He gave her a skeptical look as he came back with a damp hand towel, running it carefully over her.

“Incorrigible. There’s another one for you.” She stretched and Chris drank on her body. The sight of her naked and pliable in his bed was now ranked top ten in the list of his favorite things.

"Okay, let's play a game." Chris reclined on the headboard with his legs sprawled on the bed, white sheets covering his lower body. Lucy was on her stomach next to him, hands resting on her chin, feet up and crossed at the ankles, her naked form enticing him. His eyes followed the curves of her back, stopping to admire the tattoo that covered most of her right side, back dipping to form her waist before coming back up to the most amazing ass he'd ever seem, and yes, he had seen more than most men. He needed a distraction otherwise he'd pounce on her again. "Two truths, one lie." When she looked at him quizzically, he explained, "We each tell the other two truths about ourselves and make up a lie, a believable one. The other person has to guess what the lie is."

"What do we get if we get the lie right?" she rearranged herself on the bed and he groaned when the movements gave him a better look of her breasts. She caught the look on his eyes and smirked, wagging a finger at him. "Bad Chris, stay down boy. Stopping ogling the girls." She giggled, looking around, finally grabbing a pillow that had been pushed to the edge of the bed and using it as a cover.

"You've turned me into a fiend, it's your own sexy fault." He pouted when the pillow obstructed the view and he drew a breath to try and clear his mind. A sly smile graced his face, he knew exactly what to bet on. "How about this, three rounds. Winner gets to pick and plan a future date, loser can't say no to the date no matter what the plan is.”

Her eyes got big when she understood exactly what that meant. _Yeah baby, you’re not escaping so easily from me_.

“And I can plan any date I like? Picnic, fly a kite, bungee-jumping?” she licked her lips, wide-eyed with all the possibilities but then hesitated, “Are you even allowed to bungee-jump? I mean, didn’t you sign a contract stating you must look pretty and can’t do anything that might break a bone and halt productions?”

Chris threw his head back in laughter, this girl was amazing, so open and earnest, with no agenda, just a gorgeous girl genuinely interested in him.

“Kevin might have a problem with the last one, but sure, whatever you plan.” He admitted, enthralled by the possibilities. A B&B on a vineyard near the coast where they could spend the whole day naked and tangled in each other, only coming out to see the sun setting and to find a small restaurant to eat. A cabin in the woods, lots of pillows scattered around the floor in front of a crackling fireplace. A four-day weekend in Italy, sightseeing near Verona and Genova, drinking wine and holding hands without anyone bothering them. Any of the scenarios had amazing appeal, he just needed to make sure he’d have a chance to make them come to life.

“Fine, let's play,” she grinned. “You’re going skinny dipping at Otsego Lake, just so you know.”

“Is that supposed to scare me? I’d love to go skinny dipping with you.” Chris waggled his eyebrow at her. “Here's an easy one; I played quarterback in high school and we were county champions. My favorite color is blue but sky blue, like on a summer day. I once fooled my brother into peeing his own pants in front of our nanny."

"Leave it to you to describe a color like you’re in the middle of a romcom. That’s one truth." She smiled when he nodded. "Uhm. You're crazy about football and golly, could you ever be so mean? Yikes. But then again, you were banned from the museum…" She tapped her fingers to her mouth. "Nah, you would’ve told me that yesterday, so that’s the lie, no one is that mean."

He made a horn-like sound, shouting "WRONG!"

“What! Oh my god, you’re a terrible person Christopher,” her mouth drops in disbelief. “Your poor, poor brother!”

“I truly was the worst brother ever when it came to pranks.” He had a smirk on his face

“Remind me to never go on a prank war with you, Mr. Evans. And here I am imagining you’re star quarterback, getting all cozy with the head cheerleader and being crowned Prom King.”

“As if. I was the scrawny kid from Drama Class, joined the lacrosse team to kiss up to dad. I was actually dumped at prom!” At her incredulous face, he laughed. “It’s true, we’re at this party and she said I was too immature and deluded if I thought the acting gig would pay off. But I did get ‘Most Likely to Die Doing Something Stupid’.”

“Oh, she must hate herself right about now.” Lucy chuckled. “Have you seen her again after that?”

“Not personally, but she works at Lincoln-Sudbury High, Carly has told me she gloats that I took her to prom and never mentions that she left me alone to cry in my neighbor’s front lawn.”

“The cheekiness of the woman! Next time you do an interview, rattle her out, let’s see how she feels about that.”

Chris loved that she feels indignant on his behalf.

“Okay, your turn little lady.”

“Let’s see. I’m ambidextrous, my handwriting looks exactly the same no matter which hand I use.  I was once part of a girl band named The Fantastic Four, no correlation to your movie at all. I’m terrified of clowns to the point of hyperventilating.”

The grin on his face was almost maniacal. “I can’t wait to plan our date.”

She eyed him with distrust. “No way you know it that easily.”

“What, you think I don’t know you usurped the girl band story from Penny?”

Her mouth dropped. “NO! How could you know that?”

“It’s actually pure dumb luck and the fact that I have a great memory.” He confessed. “A bunch of us went to Mayfair at Harvard Square back in May and they had a food truck called The Fantastic Flour. I tried my best to ignore the jokes and steered clear of the place. Penny, on the other hand, insisted it was destiny and told us about her garage band. For some reason, it stuck with me.”

“You’re no fun!” She complained with a smile. “That was my best fake story, I can’t bluff to save my life!”

“You must suck at poker then,” Chris smirked. “Next time we’re playing strip-poker.”

She laughed long and hard before he pounced on her, throwing the pillow she was using to cover herself to the side of the bed and dragging her naked body on top of his, tickling her sides. They tumbled around in the bed, sharing a long kiss and Chris saw the moment her pupils dilated. God, he wanted to have her again, she was an addiction he could freely partake in but now wasn’t the time. No, there are things that need to be discussed, they couldn’t spend these few hours fucking each other, as lovely as that thought was.

“How about we go see if that omelet is still warm enough?” He helped her up from the bed, giving her a terry cloth robe that was way to bigger for her and put it on another one.

“Thank you for coming back home with me last night. I’ve had more fun in the past two days than most of this past year.” He hugged her after tying a loose knot on the robe.

“Thank you for asking me to come back.” She cupped his cheek and stroked his beard. “I really liked spending time with you, Chris. Us meeting was the highlight of a somewhat insipid year.”

A deer in headlights. That was most likely the look he sported now. He knew this conversation was coming, but still, he dreaded it.

“Uhm. About that. We need to talk.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

One cold Spanish Omelet and three cups of coffee later, Chris and Lucy sat on the family room sofa. He lounged lazily on the chase with Lucy laying down across him, her head on his lap. His phone was docked on the side table, Christmas music coming from hidden speakers around the living room, Chris had turned on the lights of his Christmas tree and the twinkling lights played around them.

“Are you sure you’re okay about the whole blind date thing?” Chris inquired, slowly combing her hair, a small gesture he was learning she loved and he enjoyed doing it for her.

“Do I still want to kill Penny? Sure do. I might push her from our dock into the frozen waters of Otsego lake at least once while we’re back home but I know her heart was in the right place. She was right, I wouldn’t have come if she told me.”

“And why not? Was the idea of meeting me that bad?”

“Of course not.” Lucy cradled the hand that rested on her belly but didn’t look up at him. “I have a less than stellar record with men and although these past years have been rather lonely, I welcomed it, it was better than putting myself out there just to get shot down again. I didn’t bother looking and I got rather creative at avoiding my friends meddling in my non-existent love life. They tried to set me up with people before, Terry even asked me if I had changed sides, and the next time we hung out he introduced me to Lauren and hightailed out of there.”

“Oh?” He pulled on her hair, bringing her eyes to his. “So, you and Lauren…”

“Get your mind out of the gutter Christopher, nothing happened. She’s a lovely girl, but I’m not bi. We had a few drinks, plotted to kill Terry and parted ways as good friends. She’s married now, her wife is pregnant. It’s a little boy by the way.” Lucy fetched her phone from the coffee table and opened Instagram, showing him a post about a week old.

“Lauren is the brunette?” She nodded and Chris looked at another picture. “Well damn.”

“You’re imagining it, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, sorry baby, I’m a man after all.” He gave her a very unapologetic grin when she snatched the phone out of his hand. His eyes searched hers and he was serious when he spoke. “I’m sorry you had such terrible experiences with dating before. But I’m glad you decided to come to Boston.”

She smiled radiantly at him.

“Me too.”

They were silent but for Sinatra singing about a white Christmas and Dean Martin crying about letting it snow. Well, he had gotten his wish about half an hour ago, the streets were once again covered in white fluff, thick flocks hitting the large windows panels.

“I have a really important question for you,” Chris said, stopping the slow massage of her scalp.

“Oh… Okay?” Lucy studied his face, looking for a clue of what that question could be.

“Have you seen the ring?” He questioned with a serious expression.

“What? Oh, the ring! No, Garret wouldn’t show it to me! It’s on my travel bag and I’m not even _allowed_ to look at it. He actually used that word.” She huffed.

“Can you believe he wouldn’t show it to me? I’m his best friend, I should at least get a peak before the big day.” Chris trailed off. “Okay, maybe not, but I’m so curious, he wouldn’t tell me anything besides it’s from Tiffany.”

“He asked me about Penny’s preferences, so I’m guessing it might be a gold band with a central round diamond in a solitaire style, but Garret would not confirm even that for me. I know he wants Penny to see it before anyone else but come on, gimme the deets, brah!” They laughed together and Chris ribbed her for her terrible Boston accent.

“Garret’s my best friend. He’s been there for me since my first year of high school, he believed in me when I didn’t.” His forehead creased. “She’ll say yes, right? I mean, you’re her sister, you must know whether Penny might say yes or no.”

“Do I know she’ll say yes?” Lucy lifted his shoulder in a half shrug.  “I mean, I can’t know for sure that a hundred percent Chris, but she’s absolutely and irrevocably in love with Garret since maybe their second date. She called me after he dropped her off and we spent two hours talking, which basically consisted of Penny praising Garret from his eyes to the way he would treat the staff at the restaurant.” Happiness swelled within her when she remembered how excited Penny sounded on the phone. _I’m gonna marry him someday babyboo, I just know that._ “Do I believe she won’t let him finish the proposal before she starts screaming _yes_? Absolutely!”

Chris massaged the back of his neck.

“God, you scared me for half a second.” Chris chuckled before continuing. “He was insufferable during the first few months. We’re all over Europe to promote the first Avengers and I asked both him and Guillermo to come with me, so they could keep me company and I wouldn’t be so strung out with anxiety. Garret would get up at 2 am whenever we were so he could call Penny when she got back from work, or she would call him at 5 am her time while we’re pausing for lunch. I told Garret to fly her to Paris so they could meet, impress her with a date on a café near the Eiffel Tower and she said no, that they weren’t at that point in their relationship yet. That’s when I knew Penny would be perfect for Garret, she wasn’t easily impressed by what his money could buy her. He told me once her favorite type of date included coffee and sitting on a park bench watching their dogs play.”

“Dad made a point to always impart on us that you shouldn’t measure a person by their wealth but on how well they treat those who do not share it,” Lucy told him. “It’s so easy to become jaded and lose perspective of how to be a decent human being when you don’t know what it is to struggle to make ends meet.”

“Can I ask you something?” the twinkly lights were playing tricks with her hair, the bright shades of red tangling from Chris' fingers. He paused to rearrange the strands falling over her eyes, carefully tucking it behind her ears. “I don’t want you to think I’m a conceited prick or that my ego needs its own zip code or something but aside from that the various quips about my acting, you never once mentioned me being, well, me.”

“And you wanted me to?” Lucy had a hand softly stroking Dodger’s auburn coat while the pooch lay on the floor next to them, his head rolling back and forth after her hand. Her eyes focused on his, studying him. “Did you want me to fangirl and be all over the great Chris Evans, Actor?”

“No. Must definitely not.” His left hand grabbed hers and brought it to his mouth, lightly kissing her knuckles, drawing in a breath. “It got harder to make friends or date people outside the industry since Captain America. I knew that would happen, but it sucks sometimes you know? I really don’t like dating actress but… it’s easier, less messy if you will.”

“Garret once commented you got really good at smelling fakers.” Lucy sat back up and faced Chris, pulling her legs close to her chest, head resting on her knees.

“Yeah. It’s a skill you need to hone very quickly otherwise you’ll live in a world full of people trying to blow smoke up your ass to get something from you. You see this person you want to interact with, be it a girl you wanna hook up with or this dude who talks beer and artisanal cheese and maybe could be a friend, you know, and you approach them, you wanna get to know them, but the minute they see the actor, Chris disappears and Chris Evans, must take his place. That had been my life up to two nights ago. Then you appear and while you did acknowledge the actor, you brushed past him and went straight to Chris.” He got a hold of her hand before continuing, “We met and didn’t talk much before we were all over each other, and can you really blame me for that? ‘Cuz look at you… But when we did talk, you busted my chops about football, you weren’t afraid to tell me to shut up when I needed to, and I fucking loved that, it’s been a while since a girl called me on my shit.”

She held her right hand over her heart and raised the left one, “I, Lucy Seabrook, hereby promise to always call you on your shit.”

“Always, huh? That sounds awful like you’d want to spend more time with me.”

“I do. I’ve been smitten with you for quite some time Chris.” At his puzzled face, she continued. “Although I’ve never come to visit Penny in Boston, she’s been plenty of times to New York. At first, she’d come with a couple of friends, or we’d get together with my friends and consume a lot of alcohol and enjoy a hell of a good time. And one day instead of a couple of girlfriends, she brought Garret. Just a friend, you know, nothing to see here, she said that shit every other phone call, but I knew better. Anyways, Garret had this friend, Chris. And Chris is the coolest guy on the planet; they went snowboarding, they went to Walt Disney World with his family, they went to Vegas and had a hell of good time… Chris couldn’t be around much, but he was a bro like no other. Garret respects and admires you like a true brother by the way.”

“It’s mutual,” Chris crossed his leg and turned to her, waiting.

“So Chris is a constant on your life even though you never met him; he’s now in the stories your sister tells you as well, he helps at Christopher’s Heaven, donates a good chunk of money to the place. Of course, you’ve seen pictures of everyone, and the guy in the left holding a beer or making a face, that’s Chris, such a fun and down to earth guy, such a great outlook on life. And then one day you’re watching Game of Thrones with your sister and her boyfriend, and hey, isn’t that a tv spot from Winter Soldier? The Captain America guy kinda looks like your friend Chris, Gar and OH.” She shook her head sheepishly. “I fell for you before I met you. Not with the actor, but this great guy named Chris, who happens to act and plays Captain Steve Rogers now and then, who’s friends with my sister and her boyfriend. It does help that he’s crazy good in bed and damn, can make me weak on the knees just by kissing my neck.”

“Crazy good in bed, huh?” Cupping her face, he softly kisses her lips, hands coaxing her body towards him. Opening her legs, Lucy straddles Chris’ lap, her shirt riding up to expose her bottom and Chris moans when she rubs against his cock through the thin lace and cotton barriers.

She giggled then, a beautiful sound that made his warmed his whole body. He needed to make sure this was just the first of many, many dates. Chris leaned closer, lips gently brushing hers. He enveloped her small hands with his large ones.

“I live a hectic life.” His eyes turned serious and he saw a look of worry cross her face. “I can be gone for months at times, sometimes with no break at all. I’m an asshole sometimes, scratch that, most of the time. I’m no prize Lucy, but I really, really wanna see you again.”

A smile tucked at the corner of her lips, freeing one hand and running her index finger along his forehead, smoothing a frown line that he didn’t know he sported.

“You might not believe you are blue ribbon material Chris, but it’s part of my job to judge talents when I encounter them and you, my dear, deserve first place in a lot of categories.” The tips of his ears felt hot at her praise. “I’m hard headed and a workaholic, I spend over eighty hours teaching and training and my brother calls me a mule, that’s how stubborn I am. Having said that, I really, really wanna see you again as well.”

Chris let of a breath he didn’t know he was holding, a big smile on his face, bringing her close for a hug.

“So, I’m blue ribbon material you say?” he moved back to look at her, raising one eyebrow suggestively and tickling her side. “Can I see the judges notes, please? I need to know what my strengths were and where I need to improve.”

“Stop, stop!” her giggles filled the room and he thought they were the cutest thing. “You’re such a _polpetto_ Chris!”

“I’m a _polpetto si_ , a meatball _ah_?,” his Italian accent sucked, but she laughed harder when he closed his hands in the traditional Italian gesture and shook them exclaiming, “Dio santo!”

She rested her forehead on his naked chest, a hand coming up to trace his clavicle tattoo.

“Is that all the Italian you know, _caro mio_?”

“Yeah, that’s about it.” Skilled fingers unbuttoned the shirt she wore, parting the sides to unveil her breasts. His palmed the globes, thumbs skimming the quickly hardening nipples. “We used to pester Uncle Mike for curse words, but he always told us _vaffanculo,_ so that’s the only one I know.”

She planted small kisses on his tattoo, the tip of her tongue tracing the words, fingering his pebbled nipples. “ _Voglio le tue mani su tutto il corpo e la tua testa fra le gambe._ _Ti piace cozi_?”

“I have no idea what you just said but bring it on baby.” Lucy yelped when his strong hands picked her from his lap and laid her back on the couch, opening her legs with his knees to rest his pelvis against her, a hiss escaping her when his covered cock made contact with her mound. “Bring it on.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Polpetto – meatball
> 
> Dio Santo – oh my god. Use lots of hands gesture when using this one!
> 
> Caro mio – my dear, my love
> 
> Vaffanculo – up your ass, mostly a light version of fuck you.
> 
> Voglio le tue mani su tutto il corpo e la tua testa fra le gambe. Ti piace cozi? – I want your hands all over my body and your head between my legs. Would you like that?


End file.
